


Zaman

by Ashitheviolinist7



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Drama, F/M, Fanfiction, Haruno Sakura-centric, SasuSaku - Freeform, Strong Female Characters, Time Travel, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-04-25 22:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14388129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashitheviolinist7/pseuds/Ashitheviolinist7
Summary: Sakura has been thrown back to the day of her genin team assignments in order to avoid a terrible, war-torn future. Unfortunately for her, changing the future isn't as easy as it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

     She knew it was too late once she saw the blinding light coming her way. What was there left to do? Stopping those two was impossible at this point, so she only had three choices left. Let Sasuke and Naruto kill her in hopes they’d realize that their feud was meaningless, let Sasuke and Naruto kill each other, or utilize  _ that  _ jutsu. Logically, the latter was the way to go; it involved no killing, but there was such a large margin for error, Sakura couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Realizing she had hardly two seconds left before she would die, she acted on instinct. Her hands flew through the signs without even thinking, the seals on her body illuminating as the jutsu was put into action. 

     “You two are such idiots!” She exclaimed as she finished the final hand-sign. “Look what I had to do to fix your mistakes!”

     She clenched her eyes shut, awaiting pain. If the jutsu didn’t work, she would be doubly impaled by a rasengan and a chidori; if the jutsu did work, she would likely experience pain similar in caliber minus her death. 

     The pain hit. It felt like every cell in her body was being individually ripped to shreds, reassembled, then destroyed again. It was so blinding and so incapacitating, she couldn’t even tell if she was screaming. After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside. She regained feeling in her limbs and quickly realized that she had survived. That meant-oh god. Sakura paled as she realized the implications of her success. After the horror she had seen in the past month, from the death of those close to her, to the horribly mutilated bodies on the battlefield, she knew facing her peers again was going to be difficult.

     She sat up in her bed, scanning the room. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she recognized the pink and red wallpaper she had as a child. As she rolled out of bed, she also realized how much smaller and weaker she was. Since her main purpose now was to alter the future and stop Sasuke, she would have to train like crazy to make up for her nearly emaciated state. She rummaged through her wardrobe, picking out the clothes she wore when she was twelve, cringing at the impracticality and childness qualities. Sighing deeply, she changed into them. Before she left the room, she remembered what important thing was happening today. She was going to be assigned a team. 

_      This means that I can start off on a better foot with Sasuke!  _ She realized, grinning at her epiphone.  _ Maybe if I don’t seem like a total fangirl, he’ll appreciate team seven more.  _

     Sakura began to formulate her new plan. Step one, she decided, was her physical appearance. Since she had woken up earlier than she needed to, she took the extra time to cut her flowy pink hair and change into a more practical outfit. Feeling satisfied with her new look, she dashed out of her house, trying not to let her mother see her. 

     “I’m leaving now mom!” Sakura announced once she had reached the door, relishing the fact that she could address her mother in such a carefree way, “It’s my first day of being a genin, remember!”

     “Have a good day honey,” Mebuki started before stepping into the front hallway, “Sakura your hair!” By the time she had made her exclamation, Sakura was far out the door.

* * *

 

     Sakura took a deep breath before entering the academy. She braced herself for the tsunami of memories that would surely follow seeing her friends again. As hard as she tried to push the scenes of their grisly deaths to the back of her mind, they always found a way to resurface. Sakura was positive that seeing them as carefree children would force the memories straight to the front of her mind so she simply braced herself for impact. 

     “I got here before you billboard-brow!” A familiar high-pitched voice greeted her, “Looks like I get to sit next to Sasuke now!”

     Sakura couldn’t help but smile when she saw her best-friend/enemy standing in front of her, alive. “Are you sure Sasuke wants to be fawned over?” Sakura replied, shooting Ino a quizzical look, “We’re ninja now. That means that we should act like one… Ino-pig.” Sakura tagged on for good measure.

     “What’s wrong with you? Also why on earth did you cut your hair?”

     “Long hair is impractical.” Sakura stated simply. She really wanted to rekindle her friendship with the Yamanaka, but she was having a hard time acting the proper way. She felt as if she had been through hell and back, making acting like a preteen girl very difficult for her. While Sakura had been lost in thought, she had failed to notice the odd stares she had been receiving from her classmates; especially Sasuke.  
Sakura looked at the Uchiha and felt shivers go down her spine. Though she didn’t want to admit it, the boy was still attractive to her. The longer she looked at him, the more complicated feelings raced through her body. She felt love, fear, sadness, nostalgia, and anger all in the few seconds she had been reunited with Sasuke.

     “What are you staring at?” She quickly retorted, trying not to sound angry, but merely curious.

As she expected, Sasuke looked away as if nothing had happened. 

     “Sakura-chan!” An overtly bright voice called, “You’re kinda different now, but I still think you’re awesome. Wanna sit next to me?”

     Sakura realized that she could improve the team seven dynamic if she acted kind to Naruto. Not to mention, the boy had become one of her best friends.

     “Sure Naruto.” She replied, sliding into the booth next to him. “Are you excited to find out what team you’re on?”

     “Hell yeah I am!” He exclaimed, “I hope we’re on the same team. Then I can always protect you!”

      “Thank you Naruto, but I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself. I do hope we’re on the same team though!”

     “You’re really awesome Sakura-chan. Wanna get some ramen with me tonight?”

     “I’ll run it past my parents.” Sakura cringed at the fact that she’d have to speak to her parents like they hadn’t died in front of her eyes a few days ago.

     Naruto grinned happily again and bent in to whisper something into Sakura’s ear. “I hope we’re not on the same team as Sasuke-teme, he seems really annoying.” 

     Sakura did nothing but laugh. In all reality, she wasn’t sure how to respond. Though it was true that she wanted to love Sasuke, the horrible crimes he had committed made her feel rather uneasy. But this wasn’t the Sasuke she knew before. Sure he was still a moody, emo kid, but he wasn’t a murderer yet. Sakura decided that her main goal was to make sure Sasuke was never consumed by darkness.

* * *

 

Sakura sat on the roof with her new genin team. This time, she was going to make a good impression with her sensei, and be sure to not come off as a fangirl.

“So before we get started, tell me about yourself. Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and hobbies.” Kakashi-sensei instructed.

“You seem shady, you go first.” Naruto gave Kakashi a suspicious look. 

“Okay, my name is Kakashi. I like some things and dislike others. As for my dreams, I’d rather not tell you. I suppose I don’t have any hobbies.”

“You only told us your name!” Sakura and Naruto exclaimed in unison.

“You go first.” Kakashi ignored the previous comment and pointed to Naruto. 

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen and I dislike the three minutes it takes for the ramen to cook. My hobby is playing pranks and I want to be the best Hokage ever!”

Kakashi pointed to Sakura.

“My name is Haruno Sakura. I like to read about medical ninjutsu and I like to train. I dislike… well, evil people. My goal is to save someone from succumbing to the darkness. And I suppose my hobby is trying different sweets.” Sakura worried that she had said too much when Sasuke looked at her with a surprised expression. 

_ The files that Iruka had on her seemed completely different. _ Kakashi thought quizzically.  _ She was made out to be a complete fangirl with a decent amount of intelligence but nearly no shinobi skills.  _

“You’re so awesome Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed. He whipped out a kunai and made a cut in his hand, “Can you heal this for me?”

“Naruto!” Sakura chastised, “Why did you do that? I’ll heal you though, just don’t do that again.”

Sakura brought her hands to Naruto’s, channeling soft chakra into the wound. It took far more effort than Sakura was used to, but her hands began to glow a light green as the cut on Naruto’s hand stitched itself back together.

“Whoah.” Naruto’s eyes glimmered with awe, “That was really, freaking cool.”

“Anyway,” Kakashi cleared his throat, “On with the introductions.”

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don’t like anything and I dislike a lot of things. My dream wouldn’t be called a dream because I  _ will _ make it a reality. I will avenge my clan and kill a certain someone.”

Kakashi expected no less from the Uchiha. In fact, the two boys on the team seemed to follow Iruka’s reports exactly, making Sakura stand out even more. Not to mention, her knowledge of medical ninjutsu far surpassed the capabilities of a fresh genin; the last medical prodigy had been Tsunade, and even  _ she _ learned medical ninjutsu at about chunin. Kakashi decided to look into Sakura’s sudden improvement in skill.

“Now that we know each other, meet me at the training grounds at 6:00 A.M, sharp. You will be doing a survival test with a 66% fail rate. Remember to not eat breakfast. If you do, you’ll puke.”

Sakura wandered home, lost in thought. She realized that she needed to have a set of goals if she wanted to change anything for the better; that was why she was in the past anyway. 

_ Saving Sasuke has to be my top priority.  _ She thought, nodding to herself.  _ If he doesn’t give in to the curse of hatred, the entire war can be avoided. In order to do that though, I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t get branded by Orochimaru. If that somehow works out, I’ll find Tsunade and have her train me further.  _ Sakura shuddered as she remembered the day that Tsunade threw herself in front of the barrage of in coming kunai in order to protect her and Naruto. She had told them that they were the last hopes of Konoha, and that they would have to do everything in their power to save their people. Unfortunately, Naruto died the following day. 

Sakura wiped away the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes and kept walking towards her house. Being in the past made her remember just how much she loved Sasuke, and how much his approval meant to her. Just his surprised eyes when she mentioned her goal had sent her heart fluttering, and the blood rushing to her head. While she was deep in thought, she didn’t notice the aforementioned Uchiha approach her. 

“Sakura.” He said, walking beside her, “You’re different.”

“What do you mean Sasuke?” She asked, trying to sound genuinely confused and also trying to conceal her surprise.

“You seem to possess skills you didn’t have before.” 

Sakura racked her mind, trying to find some appropriate reason for why she would have kept her prodigious medical talents secret. “I always had the skills Sasuke, you just never cared to notice.” She spat out, instantly regretting her sudden wave of anger.

Sasuke looked taken aback by her uncharacteristic behavior. “I noticed enough.” He replied nonchalantly, “You’re different.”

“M-maybe I was just getting tired of you never acknowledging me.” Sakura was regretting every word that came out of her mouth, yet she did nothing to stop the flow of probably detrimental sentences. “I know I was an annoying fangirl but-but I tried. If you had told me-just once-that you were looking into getting stronger instead and not looking for girls instead of crushing my heart and brushing me off, maybe I wouldn’t have been so clingy. You know what? You’re annoying Sasuke.” Sakura realized how much their situations had changed. 

Sasuke looked at Sakura with big, confused eyes.  _ What is wrong with her?  _ He thought, discreetly checking for disturbances in her chakra. When he found none, he simply frowned to himself and walked away, acting aloof and unaffected. 

Sakura tried to put her painful past behind her and start this new life over, using her memories to guide her, not haunt her, but she was having trouble treating her peers the way she was supposed to. Especially Sasuke. She was well aware that she still harbored feelings for him, but she couldn’t shake the terrible memories of his chidori aimed at her chest, or the look of hatred in her eyes when he looked at her. Sakura shuddered and set her mind on formulating a plan for the following day. 

Content with her strategy, she climbed into her sickly pink bed and fell asleep.

_ Sasuke was looking at her with deep contempt. His eyes were a deep crimson, adorned with a six-sided black star in the center. His look alone made Sakura feel as if he was uttering a string of disparaging comments though his mouth never once moved from its hateful smirk.  _

_ “You’re weak.” He sneered, finally speaking, “You’re weak now, and you will always be weak.” _

_ Sakura wanted to break down and cry. She  _ knew  _ she was weaker than Sasuke, but was all of her hard training really for naught? Was she still that cowering, pathetic, little girl? “I may not be as strong as you,” Sakura started, trying to keep her voice steady, “but I assure you that I am not weak. I can crush boulders with my pinky and I can heal virtually any wound. Not to mention, I have something you don’t.” _

_ Sasuke smirked again, “Now what would that be?”  _

_ “I have friends! And I have bonds that make me stronger!” Sakura exclaimed confidently, “When you forsook your bonds for blind revenge, you lost the potential to be truly strong!” _

_ “You still believe the crap that Konoha shoves down your throat? In order to be strong, you can not let pathetic bonds get in the way. That is why you’re weak.” _

_ “You’re wrong!” Sakura cried, smashing the ground with her foot, “You’re so blinded by revenge, that you can’t see how Naruto, the  _ loser  _ has become stronger than you by fighting for the people he loves.” _

_ Sasuke shot Sakura a slightly surprised look, “I don’t believe you.” He replied simply, sending his chidori stream right at Sakura’s chest.  _

_ If Sakura had looked away any sooner, she wouldn’t have noticed the look of regret that flashed over Sasuke’s face when he thought that Sakura would be killed. The look was subtle, but Sakura knew Sasuke well. She knew what he felt.  _

_ Realizing that she was in a memory, Sakura waited for Kakashi to swoop in and bring her to safety like he had before, but she didn’t see the telltale mop of white hair. Panic was beginning to set in when she realized that it was too late for her to dodge. The blinding blue light crackled menacingly as it came closer to her, ready to impale her. The jutsu was getting closer and closer, soon she could feel the heat, her hair was standing on end, it was mere millimeters away… _

Sakura’s eyes flew open. She was twisted in the sheets of her bed, still a genin. Blinking several times, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was 6:05, a perfectly decent time to wake up. Sliding off her bed, she walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. When she looked in the mirror, her still-round, rosy, preteen face gazed back at her, devoid of any scars or signs of suffering. Though she understood that the face gazing back at her was her own, she couldn’t help but feel like she didn’t fit. Though she was in the form of a young, happy happy girl who had never seen war, she was plagued by the images of war and suffering. She figured that nightmares would continue to be a regular occurance as they had been previously, but she was good at blocking them out. 

Putting all of those thoughts behind her, she dressed for the day and decided to go to the training grounds before her teammates arrived and long, long before Kakashi even bothered to show up. 

The training ground was empty as expected. Sakura shivered slightly in the cool morning wind and began to run laps to mitigate the cold. While she ran, she focused solely on the feeling of her muscles working to propel her forwards and the way her short hair fluttered like a flag in the wind. Once she was sufficiently warm, she began to test her strength. She could tell that her seal of one hundred healings was laying dormant in her, not taking its position in the center of her large forehead; hopefully, she would not need to call upon that seal as it would completely blow her cover. 

Thankfully, she was stronger than she had been as a genin in her previous life. Her memories and expertise had remained the same, but her physical strength and chakra reserves were abysmal. Thankfully, she could kill two birds with one stone by doing vigorous physical training. Knowing that she had about thirty minutes until her teammates arrived, she stretched her muscles and polished her plan for the bell test. 

It was obvious that Sasuke would be completely adverse to working with either her or Naruto. Especially after their not-so-pleasant exchange the previous day. It would take a good deal of convincing to get Sasuke to even consider going along with her plan. Naruto, on the other hand, would be gung-ho for working with Sakura but would completely refuse if he had to work with Sasuke. All in all, she would have to state an extremely convincing and moving case if she wanted to get anything done. She could also let everything play out the exact same way as they had before, but she wanted to make things better. Especially between her and Sasuke; she obviously hadn’t been going to well though. 

She could feel Sasuke’s presence approaching the training grounds. She smiled to herself, realizing how small his chakra reserves were now compared to his in the future. He truly was so much younger. She decided that now would be a good time to apologize for their feud.

“Hey Sasuke,” she started, unintentionally dropping the suffix, “I’m sorry about yesterday. I suppose I was just getting fed up. I promise I won’t let my personal feelings get in the way of our team dynamic anymore since teamwork is what makes a team great. Without cooperation, teams would be nothing.” Sakura tried to hint at the fact that they’d need to work together during the test and she really hoped that Sasuke would catch the drift. 

“It’s okay.” Sasuke replied, surprising Sakura with something more than a monosyllabic grunt, “I-I suppose I was a bit harsh before.” Sasuke’s last sentence came out as a whisper.

Sakura’s eyes lit up with happiness.  _ Sasuke just apologized to me!  _ She thought giddily.  _ That means our relationship is already stronger! _ Unbeknownst to her, she would be really valuing their blossoming friendship in the not-so-far future.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The two sat together in an almost comfortable silence until Naruto came gallivanting into the training ground. 

“Hi Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!” He said enthusiastically, “Where’s Kakashi-sensei?”

“Hmmm, going from the fact that he was close to three hours late yesterday, I can assume that he won’t be much earlier.” Sakura surmised, putting on the façade of someone who didn’t know everything about Kakashi. “We should do some team exercises in the meantime. You know, help boost our cooperation.”

“Sure Sakura-chan!” Naruto agreed happily, “As long as the teme doesn’t act like such an asshole.”

“Naruto.” Sakura reprimanded, “Sasuke’s on our team, we have to work with him.”

“Naruto will just hold me back.” Sasuke muttered, “I’ll work with Sakura, but not the dobe.”

“The entire point of being on a team together is to be able to work  _ with  _ each other!” Sakura exclaimed, glaring at Sasuke, “We’ll never be a good team if we can’t get along. Now we need to put our petty differences aside and work together, goddamnit!”

Sasuke and Naruto looked taken aback at Sakura’s sudden, uncharacteristic outburst.

“You’re right Sakura-chan.” Naruto apologized, “I’ll work with the teme if you think it will boost our teamwork.”

“Hn.” Sasuke agreed. Well, at least Sakura thought he agreed, he tended to be rather ambiguous some times.

“Now that we’ve come to a consensus, we need to think about what we could possibly be doing for this test.” Sakura figured that blurting out every aspect and moral of the bell test would be mighty suspicious, so she decided to just hint at it and hope her teammates caught on. “As I’ve been saying earlier, Konoha’s strongest asset is its fierce camaraderie and powerful teams. Take the sannin for instance. They were practically unbeatable because they knew each other inside out and knew how each one of their teammates would react.”

“Okay, but we hardly know anything about each other.” Sasuke crossed his arms, “Especially you Sakura, what else are you hiding?”

“I thought we put that argument behind us.” Sakura sighed, “Whatever, the point is, my fighting style relies heavily on close combat and chakra control. If I am going to be able to fight efficiently, I will need to get close to the enemy. I also am a healer.”

“That’s a contradiction.” Sasuke stated, “Healers always go in the back, but you insist on being in the front. It doesn’t make sense.”

“When I was studying the sannin, I noticed that even though Tsunade was a healer, she was often on the front-line. Since I pretty much copied her style, I think it’s appropriate for me to follow her battle strategies.”

“Does that mean we’re going to follow the strategies of the other two sannin?” Sasuke raised his eyebrow, “If so, how would you know which one of us corresponds with the other?”

Sakura took a deep breath. If she mentioned Orochimaru now, she might be able to warn Sasuke about his evil ways, but he may also become curious and turn to Orochimaru sooner. Stuck in a deadlock, Sakura hoped that Sasuke wouldn’t turn on her. “I think you should copy Orochimaru.” Sasuke’s eyes widened slightly, “Mind you, I don’t think you’re a thing like that evil bastard. In fact, I hope no one ever goes to seek him out. I know this must sound weird, but Sasuke, promise me you’ll never consider him as a sensei.”

Sasuke looked at Sakura with deep confusion. She had been so strange recently, but he liked it. He liked the way she no longer obsessed over him and the way that she took her studies seriously. Out of all of the people in his graduating class, he found himself the closest to Sakura at this point. Her newly found seriousness paired with her viridity complimented his personality well; not that he’d ever admit it of course. No, he’d stay indifferent, but ask if she wanted to be his training partner. That was definitely the right course of action. But still, why on earth would she suspect him of having anything to do with the missing nin Orochimaru? “Sakura, why would I have anything to do with Orochimaru?”

“Just promise me.” Sakura said seriously, gazing sternly into Sasuke’s onyx eyes, “Promise me you’ll never affiliate yourself with him.”

Sasuke looked at Sakura uneasily, “I promise.” He conceded, unsure of why Sakura seemed so afraid when she had made him promise. What did she have to do with the evil sannin?

“As for you Naruto,” Sakura switched back to her jovial disposition, “I think you should copy Jiraiya. You know, we could be the next sannin!”

“Hell yeah!” Naruto grinned with the intensity of a thousand suns, “If I’m as strong as them, I’ll be sure to become the Hokage! Just watch.”

“Don’t forget about us.” Sakura reminded him, placing a hand affectionately on his shoulder, “Sasuke can be head of ANBU and I can be head of the hospital.”

Sasuke frowned. He didn’t care about becoming ANBU. All he needed to do was to avenge his brother and he knew he would do  _ anything  _ to get the chance. 

“Oi teme,” Naruto poked Sasuke, “Whatcha brooding about? Don’t you want to be ANBU?”

Sasuke scowled and turned away, crossing his arms.

“I think he’s got more mood swings than girls when it’s their time of the month.” Naruto whispered to Sakura.

She looked at the blond exasperatedly and gave him a light knock on the head for good measure. “ _ You  _ can’t make period jokes.” She pointed an accusing finger at him, “Do you know how terrible it is to bleed for an entire  _ week _ ?”

Naruto shuddered at the image and fierce glare. “Sorry Sakura-chan…” he apologized, inching away from her.

* * *

 

Kakashi finally showed up. He was more than two hours late and team seven had run out of ways to spend their time.

“You’re late!” Sakura and Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

Kakashi rubbed his neck, “Sorry, there was a black cat in my way so-”

“Liar!” The two genin yelled again.

“Anyway,” Kakashi brushed off their previous comment, “Let me explain the test.”

The three genin looked at Kakashi with rapt attention, ready to face whatever challenge was thrown at them.

Kakashi held up a pair of silver bells. “This test is called the bell test. The objective is to take a bell from me. If you do not succeed, you will be sent back to the academy.”

Sakura knew why there were only two bells, but she decided to ask Kakashi for good measure. “There are only two bells sensei.” Sakura started, feigning worry, “Does that mean that one of us will fail for sure?”

“You’re sharp.” Kakashi commended the pink-haired girl, “Anyway, Sakura is correct. One of you will fail for sure. Now, you have until noon to complete the test. If you fail to get a bell within the time restraint, you will not get lunch. If you are to have the slightest chance of getting a bell, you will have to come at me with the intent to kill.”

Naruto took the end of Kakashi’s sentence as a signal to start, resulting in him attacking the jonin head on.

“I haven’t said start yet.” Kakashi sighed, poofing out of existence. 

Sakura leapt back into the trees, deciding to follow her previous strategy to a point. Masking her chakra, she hid in a thick group of bushes, slowly making her way towards Sasuke. She could sense the Uchiha’s chakra well from where she was; his chakra signature was so obvious, she’d have to remind him to mask it when they rendezvoused. 

“Sasuke.” She whispered, sliding next to him, “Remember to mask your chakra. It’s too obvious. Also, once Naruto’s done blowing off steam, let’s attack together.”

“But you heard Kakashi.” Sasuke crossed his arms defiantly, “One of us is going to fail for sure. Since Naruto is the weak link, we should leave him.”

“I told you this before.” Sakura clenched her teeth, “Konoha’s strongest asset is teamwork. Also, have you ever seen a two man team? No. The point of this test is to prove that we can work together despite the boundaries we’re given.”

“I don’t know how you came to that conclusion, but I’ll trust you.” Sasuke capitulated, “If it turns out that you were wrong and we are all sent back to the academy, I’ll never forgive you.” Sasuke shot Sakura a serious look. 

Sakura knew he wasn’t lying in the least. Sasuke wouldn’t be able to kill Itachi if he had to repeat academy classes. Not to mention, it would be a great disgrace to the Uchiha and himself. Keeping all of that in mind, Sakura looked sternly at Sasuke. “I understand.” She assured, her eyes never leaving his, “Now that you have decided to trust me, let’s find Naruto.”

Naruto had finally finished attacking Kakashi and had retreated into the bushes. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto was far more willing to go with Sakura’s plan.

“Okay.” Sakura started, masking her chakra to the best of her abilities, “First thing’s first.” She looked at Sasuke, “You and Naruto will start to attack Kakashi together. I advise having Naruto make a ton of shadow clones and transform a few into Sasuke. Maybe that will throw Kakashi off slightly.” Sakura knew that Kakashi wouldn’t be fooled by a measly prank like that, but it sounded like a genin level strategy. “Once you have successfully preoccupied sensei, I’ll sneak in and grab the bells. After I get them, I’ll hand them to you two so that we all can successfully ‘get the bells’.”

The two boys nodded in understanding. 

“Don’t mess up Dobe.” Sasuke hissed, running into the clearing with Naruto. 

Sakura watched their fight transpire, happy that the two were at least semi-capable of working together. As she expected, Kakashi saw right through their prank and dispelled Naruto’s clones in mere seconds. Now it was just the two boys trying desperately to hold their own against a jonin.  Just as Sasuke and Naruto were beginning to tire out, Sakura leapt into the clearing silently. She flew past Kakashi, grabbing the bells in one swift motion and rolling gracefully onto the ground. She quickly handed the bells to her two teammates and smiled at Kakashi.

“We all got the bells sensei!” She said sweetly.

“No.” Kakashi’s face turned deadly, “I said that one of you would be sent back to the academy. Now I think you should choose. Perhaps Naruto because he’s an idiot? Or Sasuke because he was the most reluctant to work as a team? Or maybe even Sakura because she lacks strength?”

“I do not!” Sakura exclaimed indignantly, striking the ground. The dirt around her cracked slightly.  _ I’m a lot weaker than I was before. _ She thought, discreetly massaging her sore fist. 

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow for a split second, “Anyway who would you choose?”

“I’ll go.” Naruto muttered, “I know I’ll just hold back the team.”

“No Naruto.” Sakura shook her head, “You want to become the Hokage and you can’t do that if you’re still in the Academy, I’ll go back.”

Sasuke didn’t want to say anything. Why would he go back to the Academy? Out of all his teammates he was by far the strongest and he couldn’t kill Itachi while still in the Academy. But Sakura  _ did _ insist that this test was about teamwork and though he had no real reason, he trusted her. “I’ll go.” He said, forcing the words through his clenched teeth.

Kakashi’s face lit up. “You all pass.” He stated simply, “Now our first mission is tomorrow.”

Sakura sighed in relief.  _ That played out differently than it did last time. _ She thought worriedly.  _ I hope I didn’t change too much… _

Sasuke grabbed Sakura’s wrist before she left the training ground. “That was too close.” He growled, looking deep into her viridian eyes.

“Well we passed didn’t we?” She matched his gaze, “Can you think of any better strategy?”

Sasuke wanted to be furious at her for putting his shinobi career on the line, but her newfound confidence made him more intrigued than mad. Unsure of what to do, he decided to walk with her. 

“Don’t you live in the other direction?” Sakura inquired. Of course, she wanted Sasuke to walk with her, but she would like to know why he was being so companionable. 

“I have to go to the grocery store.” Sasuke stated.  _ That was a lie. _ Sasuke thought.  _ Sakura doesn’t know that though. _

Sakura knew he was lying. The quickest way to get to the grocery store, and the route that Sasuke usually used (no need to know how she knew that) was also in the opposite direction, but Sakura found no problem with playing along. “Okay! Well I have to pick up some groceries too, so we can go together.”

“Hn.”

Sakura frowned. She thought Sasuke had moved passed monosyllabic grunts, but she supposed she was wrong.

They walked into the cool store, both gazing at the lists they had written. Sakura stole a glance at Sasuke’s list and desperately tried to stifle a giggle.  _ Of course it’s blank. He didn’t even intend to go shopping. It would have been better if he just didn’t pull it out in the first place.  _ She thought smiling to herself.

* * *

 

She met Sasuke at the check-out line, giggling once more at the continents of his shopping basket. There were at least twelve tomatoes. 

“Sasuke,” Sakura started, “I hope your entire diet doesn’t just consist on tomatoes.”

Sasuke’s face turned the color of the aforementioned fruit. “Of course not.” He insisted, “I’m a ninja, I must have a healthy diet.” 

Sakura nodded, smirking slightly. 

The two walked out of the store in a happy silence. Well, at least Sakura was happy, as for Sasuke, you could never really tell. 

Sasuke ended up walking Sakura back to her house.

“Thanks Sasuke.” Sakura shot him a sweet smile, “You really didn’t have to.”

Sasuke shrugged, shoved his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the Uchiha district. 

Sakura watched the Uchiha crest on his back getting smaller and smaller, infinitely thankful that he was just going home and not leaving her again. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! It's chapter 2! I hope you liked it (and didn't think it was too short). FYI, this is going to be completely sasusaku centric and really long. At the moment, I'm not sure how I'll end it!


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura spent the next few days testing her strength. Her seal had just reached full capacity before she had travelled back in time and she thankfully still had it laying dormant in her forehead with all of the chakra inside it. As much as she wanted to awaken the seal and have access to all of that chakra, she knew it would raise too much suspicion, so she’d just have to suffer with her abysmal chakra reserves until then. She wasn’t disappointed with the progression of her strength, but she really wished that she had started training earlier in her life. If she had focussed on strength instead of Sasuke, she would have been on par with the boys in her first life, but alas, she could not change the past.

* * *

 

She made her way to the training field where she was supposed to meet Kakashi and the rest of team seven. Today, she was a good hour early so that she could warm up by herself. Once she got to the training ground, she saw a bright green blur fly through the trees, crushing branches as it went. Recognizing the viridian comet as Rock Lee, Sakura waited for him to slow down. The bushy-browed ninja finally came to a halt, allowing Sakura to run over. 

“Wow!” She exclaimed, “I’ve never seen someone move so fast! Not to mention, it seems as if you weren’t even using chakra. That’s incredible!”

Lee visibly brightened, “You are a shining cherry blossom that steals my breath and pierces my heart! Your compliment has made me want to run 5,000 laps around Konoha in joy! See, I was born without the ability to harness ninjutsu, but I persisted using the power of youth and hard work!”

Sakura decided that striking a friendship with Lee would be extremely beneficial since she’d be able to train with him and receive enthusiastic compliments all the time. “I’d be so happy if we could train together.” Sakura smiled brightly, “I too am a ninja, and I really want to improve my strength.”

“I’d be honored to train with you, my gorgeous flower!” Lee struck a dramatic pose, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

“I’m sorry Lee.” Sakura patted the boy’s shoulder, “I just really need to focus on my training right now.” Of course it would be rude for her to just downright say ‘you’re a nice guy, but I don’t really like your looks and though you’re my friend, you’re a bit too “youthful” to be hot’, so she bent the truth a bit (or completely).

“It’s okay Sakura-chan! I shall attempt to court you again in the future.”

Sakura shifted uncomfortably on her feet, “O-okay Lee… Now, why don’t we get to training?”

“Ah yes! Though I have already warmed up, I will warm up again with you! Since you are new to the training regimen, let’s only run fifteen laps around the village.”

Sakura nodded, remembering that the village was not particularly small. In any way, shape, or form. God, this warm up would be hell.

Sakura doubted she’d be able to make it home. After the torture her body had gone through, she could barely move her pinky-toe, much less walk halfway across the village. Realizing that she could alleviate some of the pain, she sent soothing healing chakra into her sore muscles. Sighing in relief, she pushed herself off the ground and made it home.

* * *

 

Her house was strangely quiet. Usually, her parents would be bustling around, preparing dinner or sitting at the table and having an animated discussion, but none of the lights were on. Sakura flicked the lightswitch to see a completely deserted kitchen. She turned her head to the fridge and sighed in relief. Her parents had left a note. 

_ Dear Sakura, _

_ We will be off on a trip for about two weeks. There is a very enthusiastic seller in      _

_ the land of hot springs. There are groceries in the fridge. _

_ Love you, _

_ Mama and Papa _

Sakura smiled at the letter and folded it up. She prepared a quick (but hearty) dinner and eagerly dug in. After she finished her meal, she took a nice warm shower to wash all of the sweat and grime of of her body.

Morning came far to early. Despite healing her muscles, she still felt like she’d been run over by a truck multiple times. Scratch that. She’d been assaulted by the entire Akimichi clan using the human boulder jutsu. In short, everything hurt. Sakura groaned and pushed herself out of bed. 

_ All of this suffering is for the greater good.  _ She assured herself, sending another wave of healing chakra down her body.  _ That was a bad idea. _ She concluded. Since her chakra reserves were so abysmal, using medical ninjutsu drained her very quickly; she couldn’t afford to be low on chakra now, she had a mission!

Groaning again, she got dressed, pulling on a mesh top, red vest, and a pair of black shorts. Noting that she was already late, she grabbed an apple and sprinted to the training grounds. 

_ Damn it.  _ She cursed,  _ I’m later than Naruto. My past self would always be the earliest so that I could have one-on-one time with Sasuke. _

“You’re late.” Sasuke stated, “You’re usually early.”

_ Damn it, he caught on. _ “Sorry, I was training late last night and I was more tired than usual.” She decided not to lie.

“Training for what?” Sasuke looked at Sakura suspiciously. Though he liked her hardworking persona, he doubted that it was permanent. She had changed  _ too  _ much; she was practically a different person.

“I wasn’t training  _ for  _ anything other than getting stronger.” She insisted, trying not to be shaken by Sasuke’s piercing stare, “I was just working on taijutsu and strength training.”

“Hn.”

Back to grunts again. Had Sakura done something wrong? Brushing that though aside, she decided that she should be productive with her time. “I’d give Kakashi-sensei a couple hours. We should train by ourselves.”

“Sounds great Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, finally arriving, “What will we do? Who’s gonna lead us?”

Sasuke crossed his arms. “Since I-”

“I think we should all teach something we’re good at.” Sakura interrupted, earning a frustrated ‘humph’ from Sasuke. 

Obviously miffed by Sakura’s interruption, Sasuke decided to shoot down her idea. “Since we have a mission, we shouldn’t waste unnecessary chakra.”

“I agree, but if we work on stamina, Naruto’s specialty, taijutsu, your specialty, and chakra control, my specialty, we won’t waste any chakra.” Sakura argued.

“What about chakra control?” Sasuke shot back, “That uses chakra.”

“It doesn’t use excess chakra if you do it right.” Sakura smirked. “Now Naruto, wanna start?”

“Sure Sakura-chan!” He replied enthusiastically, looking ebullient as ever.

* * *

 

Her teammates proved to be decent senseis. Well, Naruto wasn’t particularly good at teaching, but he wasn’t as bad as Sakura had initially suspected. Though he had no idea of how to explain running for hours and burning up massive amounts of chakra without tiring out. In fact, he didn’t do any teaching really; he just made Sasuke feel better about himself when he mentioned that he only had that much stamina because of something that he couldn’t control. When he mentioned that, Sakura knew that Sasuke felt reassured that Naruto wasn’t just incredibly strong and subsequently better than him, no, it was something about him that made him more resilient, not his own hard work. Though it was somewhat reassuring, Sasuke was still frustrated. All he wanted was to unconditionally be the strongest yet not be held back by his team. 

Sakura noticed Sasuke brooding in the corner of the training field. Though it was not abnormal for the Uchiha, she really wanted to improve her relationship with him. Since she knew that he hated people doting on him, she decided to act as if she didn’t know that he was obviously brooding and sulking about something. 

“Sasuke,” she started nonchalantly, “if you ever find time, do you want to train or something?”

Sasuke turned to look at her. Sakura braced herself for a death glare or some kind of belittling look, but Sasuke looked merely interested. “Sure.” He replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away.

“Wait!” Sakura called after his receding back, “When should we train?”

“Meet me at training ground three tonight at eight.” Sasuke didn’t turn his head to look at Sakura and kept walking home. 

Deciding to deem that encounter as a success, Sakura too started to walk home.

* * *

 

Sakura hated silence. Her house seemed too large and far too quiet, making Sakura feel extremely uncomfortable. She shuffled around the house, making dinner and as much noise as possible. To help mitigate the silence, she put on some of the sappy romance records that her father had bought though she despised them with a passion. Anything to make her feel less alone. After living through the war, Sakura would have thought that she had acclimated herself to silence, but that was obviously not the case. After the weeks she spent wandering around the decimated cities, healing the sparse survivors, she realized that she had just become used to the discomfort; not acclimated to it.

Cringing at the thick, whiny voice of the singer, Sakura continued to prepare dinner. Since her parents were travelling merchants, she was used to cooking for herself while her parents were away on jobs; that didn’t make her feel any less lonely though. 

After at least thirty minutes of cooking and cleaning, she found herself humming along to the songs. Though she still grimaced at every sappy vocal slide and every pleading iteration of ‘I love you’, it kept her mind off of her parents absence. For some reason, their trip seemed so spontaneous and unsettling. Though it had been a while since the world was safe enough for them to travel for work, Sakura remembered that they tended to announce their departure date over dinner. This time, they hadn’t mentioned anything. Placing her paranoia in the back of her mind, she decided to trek over to the library for some evening studying. 

* * *

The librarian greeted Sakura warmly. Even before she became a ninja, Sakura had spent inordinate amounts of time in the library, devouring book after book. To this day, she found comfort in the library’s warm ambience and rich aroma of books. Making her way into the shinobi section of the library, she saw someone she would never fathom to even consider entering the library. Hunched over a thick reference book was Naruto, his blue eyes squinting in obvious confusion.

“Hey Naruto!” Sakura greeted, sliding into a seat across the table from him, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah!” Naruto replied, looking up from his book, “This is my first time at the library! I’ve never really been good at understanding words, so studying is really hard.”

“I’d be happy to help you.” Sakura offered, glancing at the title of the book Naruto had chosen. “Oh I know this book. ‘Konoha history A-Z’ is great for learning about particular events in Konoha’s history. Is there anything in particular you were looking for?”

Naruto visibly paled. His usual ebullient demeanor was replaced with a terrified apprehensiveness that reminded Sakura of the myriad of orphaned children during the war. “I don’t want you to hate me Sakura-chan.” He murmured, looking away from the kunoichi, “I’ve just really loved how nice you’ve been to me recently and I don’t want that to change. I’m afraid that if I tell you what I’m looking for, you’ll ask why, then I’ll have to tell you something I’m afraid to tell you.”

Sakura wanted to grab Naruto and squeeze him while reminding him that she would always view him as a cheerful hero and that the Kyuubi did not define him at all. Realizing that doing what she wanted would make Naruto mighty suspicious, she decided to take a different approach. “Naruto,” she began, her voice soft and comforting, “I realize that I was a bit of an asshole towards you before and I’m really sorry. I’ve recently realized that I’m a kunoichi, not a annoying teenage girl. I’ve also realized that you aren’t stupid or annoying or disgusting; instead, I think you’re an amazing person and you have so much potential. Nothing you tell me now will stop me from thinking that. I promise Naruto.”

Naruto’s eyes began to fill with tears. For the first time in his life, someone was treating him like a person, and a good one at that. Overcome with emotion, Naruto forgot all about the negative connotations of telling Sakura about the Kyuubi. Little did he know, of course, that she was more knowledgeable in the subject than himself. “When I was born, something-a monster I guess, was sealed in me. Old-man Hokage told me that it was called the Kyuubi and that it was a village secret. Oh crap. That means I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Shit, shit, shit. Please don’t tell anyone Sakura-chan.”

Sakura stifled a giggle. “It’s okay Naruto, I figured as much.”

Naruto looked at her incredulously, “You mean… you knew?”

“When you mentioned that there was something about you that gave you extra stamina, I kinda put two and two together. The history scrolls say that the yondaime sealed the Kyuubi away and saved the village. Though they never explicitly said that Kyuubi was sealed in a kid, I’d heard rumors going around the village.” Sakura caught herself before she said ‘your father’ instead of ‘the yondaime’.

“And you don’t hate me?” Naruto’s blue eyes were wide and sad, making Sakura’s heart break into pieces. 

“Of course not!” Sakura glanced at the clock. Noticing that she had less than five minutes to meet Sasuke, she jumped out of her chair, “I gotta train! Sorry we weren’t able to work much on understanding the book. Maybe next time?” Sakura waved goodbye to her teammate and sprinted to the training grounds.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've been having a great time writing the encounters between team seven members.


	4. Chapter 4

“You’re late.” Sasuke stated with annoyance, “I thought we settled on eight.”

“Sorry, I ran into Naruto at the library.” Sakura apologized, knowing wholeheartedly that Sasuke would still be mad. 

“Hn.” Sasuke grunted, beginning to stretch. 

Sakura quickly followed in suite, touching her toes with ease. Once she was sufficiently stretched out, she began to jog around the forest. Every two minutes or so, she’d run in a different style. She had been running for at least fifteen minutes when she was hit with a disgustingly familiar presence. It hit her like a wave, forcing her to stop running. For some reason, she couldn’t put a finger on to whom the presence belonged, but she did know that it made her feel really nauseous. Sasuke seemed to notice her discomfort and stopped beside her.

“What’s wrong?” He asked brusquely, obviously angry that she had interrupted his warm-up.

“You should leave.” She forced out, wrapping her thin arms around her stomach, “I-I don’t know what’s going on, but you should leave.”

“Why?” Sasuke glared at her as if she were a stupid schoolgirl, “What’s wrong with you?” 

Sakura mustered up as fierce of a glare as she possibly could. “Just leave.” She growled, pushing the Uchiha away. 

Sasuke stumbled backwards, not expecting a chakra infused push. He looked at Sakura with deep content and walked away.

By the time Sasuke had left, the feeling had subsided. Sakura lowered herself to the ground, resting her back on a tall tree. In her current, confused state, she couldn’t remember where she had felt that presence, nor did she want to. The only thing she knew about the sinister aura was that Sasuke could not be anywhere near it. Of course, if Sakura was in her right mind, she would instantly know to whom the presence belonged, but at the moment, she probably wouldn’t be able to recognize it if it was dancing naked in her soup bowl. Taking several shuddery breaths, she pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and tried to calm herself down. Once her heartbeat had reverted to a normal rate, she decided that it was about time to go home.

* * *

 

Sasuke hated being confused. It made him feel stupid and the last thing Sasuke wanted to feel was stupid. Being confused about Sakura, though, made him even angrier. She was the girl that wore her feelings on her sleeve and practically announced every emotion and desire she had. Since she’d changed Sasuke hadn’t been able to read her.  _ She’s so annoying! _ Sasuke thought, clenching his teeth. She had been annoying before, but in a different way. Before she was clingy, weak, and emotional. Now she was cryptic and suddenly stronger. There was no way she could have gotten that much stronger in the course of a day! There must be something wrong. But that wasn’t the problem now was it? No, he had just been forced out of the training grounds by Sakura who seemed to be suddenly sick. Maybe she was taking chakra enhancing steroids? Sasuke had hear that they had negative side effects. But no, that couldn’t be it. Sakura made it seem like there was some kind of ghost or monster in that forest. One that was particularly dangerous, but only to him. Or maybe it was dangerous for both of them, but Sakura wanted to save him? God, that would be totally out of character for Sakura. She was the one that required protection. Naruto had spoken to Sasuke about how their duty was to protect Sakura at all costs. Of course, Sasuke thought that was pathetic. She was a shinobi, she should pull her own weight! Just because she was a girl didn’t mean she deserved special treatment and two personal bodyguards. In the Uchiha household, you were required to be an elite shinobi regardless of your gender. Ugh! Sasuke’s mind was wandering. He still hadn’t answered the real question.  _ Why was he just forced out of the training grounds? _ Nothing made sense and Sasuke was frustrated. Frustrated that he didn’t understand Sakura, frustrated that she was catching up to him in strength, and frustrated that he was spending his time thinking about Sakura and not his revenge. Clenching her fists, he stomped off to the training ground, ignoring Sakura’s warning to steer clear of it.

* * *

 

All Sakura could do right now was lie down. She didn’t have the presence of mind to mull over the recent happenings or wonder why it affected her the way it did, but she did have the ability to lie on her bed and cry, remembering her past comrades. 

_ It was so stupid of me to think that I would be able to throw myself back in time and not have any mental fallout.  _ She thought bitterly, curling up into a fetal ball. She knew of many shinobi who had suffered from acute PTSD and been forced to leave the ninja lifestyle; thankfully, she knew her case was not quite as serious, but nevertheless, she felt mentally drained and thoroughly overwhelmed. 

A fresh round of tears came pouring down her face when she remembered her last conversation with Kakashi-sensei. He had been bed-ridden after a near fatal battle with Madara, and was in the process of dying. 

_ “Sakura” He croaked out, his mismatched eyes barely open, “Thank you for being the smartest one on your team. T-tell Naruto to bring Sasuke back for me.” _

_ Sakura grabbed his gloved hand and squeezed it tightly. Every time Kakashi took another labored breath, Sakura felt her world spin a little faster. With much effort, Kakashi managed one last eye crinkle before taking a final, shallow intake of breath. Sakura’s hands glowed bright, bright green as she tried futilely to return the life to her sensei. Though she knew that Kakashi was already dead, she poured more and more chakra into her hands, her body shaking. Though she felt unfathomable sorrow, her eyes remained painfully dry. It was as if she had used up all of her tears throughout the war; now her eyes were dry and she couldn’t feel the relief one experiences after crying. Taking deep, panting breaths, she stumbled out of the medical tent, disregarding the black spots that invaded her vision. She was able to walk a few more feet before she feel gracelessly to her knees, still hyperventilating. The hot, sun-baked ground burned her hands as she began to sink towards the ground. Her conscious was fading quickly and she did nothing to stay awake. She embraced the darkness of unconsciousness, falling gratefully into its depths.  _

Now, Sakura was happy that she was able to cry. Finally, she felt like she was able to let go of some of the painful feelings bundled up in her. Having the chance to restart was a blessing and a curse in the sense that she held the great responsibility of ‘making sure the world doesn’t get fucked up again’  but she also got to enjoy the good times he had with her teammates a second time. This time, she’d appreciate it more. 

Though she felt like a substantial weight had been lifted off her chest, she knew that she didn’t feel up to leaving her bed or thinking about the recent happenings in a strictly clinical manner. Accepting that she needed time to relax and think of simply nothing, she made herself comfortable in bed and closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths.

* * *

 

Kakashi was suspicious. Well, he had been suspicious since his team took the bell test. They were incredible, yes, but one of the members just stuck out like a sore thumb. He expected the boys to have a lot of potential because of who they were, but this girl from a civilian family seemed to be even more promising. First of all, she was a complete medical prodigy which was completely unheard of since there was no one she’d be able to learn from without getting it marked on her record. The hospital was so tight that they would have taken detailed notes on who tutored her and her progress. Since there were no such records, Kakashi could assume that she got outside help. The only outside help though would be Tsunade and she hadn’t been seen near the village from years. Of course, Kakashi could just be blowing things out of proportion and assuming that because she was civilian born, her skills were highly unlikely, but Kakashi believed that he was on to something. Not to mention, Sakura had extreme chakra masking abilities. If he wasn’t the elite jonin and ex-anbu member Kakashi Hatake, he probably wouldn’t have been able to detect her during the bell test. That could have just been luck on her part since he wasn’t paying much attention to her, but honestly, Kakashi didn’t know. What he did know, was that he needed to confront her in the least conspicuous way possible. First, though, he’d confer with another trusted jonin. 

“Yo.” Kakashi slid into the booth across from Kurenai, interrupting her doodling, “I knew I’d find you here.”

“Hey Kakashi.” She replied, folding the sheet of paper and placing it into one of the pockets of her flack vest, “I was just planning out some scenes for new genjutsu I’m thinking of. Anyway, you never eat with me unless you want something. What is it this time?”

“I just wanted to talk to you.” Kakashi crinkled his only visible eye, “I’ll dare you to take Asuma on a date later.”

With that last phrase, Kurenai’s face turned the color of her crimson eyes. “W-what did you want to talk about?” She stuttered, regaining her composure. 

“See, one of the members of my genin team is well… interesting.”

“If it’s the Uchiha, I’ve already told all the academy professors that just because the Yuuhi are distant relatives of the Uchiha, doesn’t mean I can take him in or teach him Uchiha stuff.” Kurenai groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Actually, it’s about Sakura Haruno.” Kakashi replied, chuckling at Kurenai’s exasperated outburst.

“Hmm, the girl?” She looked confused, “If I remember her files correctly, she was pretty average other than being highly intelligent and having a huge crush on Sasuke. Why do you need to talk about her?”

“It’s just that she’s almost the opposite of what’s stated on the files.”

Kurenai cocked her head in confusion.

“She’s suddenly a medical prodigy, her chakra masking skills surpass most chunin, she doesn’t seem to be infatuated with Sasuke, but her intelligence seems to be the same.” Kakashi sighed heavily, “Could it be that she was hiding her skills prior?”

“But why would she?” 

“I honestly don’t know. Perhaps it could be to gain the Uchiha’s attention. Some girls believe the misconception of ‘boys won’t like you if you’re strong and don’t need protection’.”

Kakashi considered Kurenai’s idea. “I suppose that explains some things, but how did she acquire her skill in the first place?”

“Did her files say she was exceptional in any area?”

“They stated that she had the best chakra control and memory in the class.”

“I suppose that would make material very easy for her to learn. Honestly, she’s a confusing case.”

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll talk to her.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, you thought Sakura would be able to change that much without people noticing? WRONG. Another two things: one, I wanted Kakashi and Kurenai to be friends. So they are. Look at this power I have. Two, I have this headcannon that the Yuuhi and Uchiha are distantly related, so I made it so!
> 
> Bye! Please leave kudos and comments!


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura had a strange feeling of expectancy. Throughout the entire day, she had felt like something was going to happen, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. It seemed mighty important, but at the same time she was inherently worried about it. Getting increasingly frustrated, she checked the calendar in the library. 

_ That’s it! _ She grinned at her epiphone.  _ The mission to the waves is supposed to be tomorrow. _ After getting over the initial excitement of shaking the feeling of expectancy, the gravitas of the situation finally sunk in. Though the mission was an important turning point for her team, she worried that some of the changes she made would affect the outcome. What if Sasuke actually died this time? Or what if he didn’t activate his sharingan.  _ That actually wouldn’t be a terrible thing… _ Sakura chuckled to herself. Still, she shook her head. Sasuke had to come to terms with his sharingan and the darkness that came along with it; hiding it would be futile. 

Putting those worries behind her, she made her way out of the library, arms full of scrolls. 

“Sakura-chan?” The librarian called before she left, “If you see your blond teammate, Naruto was it? Tell him to return the book he checked out. He’s about a week and a half late.”

“Will do!” Sakura replied, opening the double doors of the library and walking down the warm Konoha streets.

* * *

 

Crossing his arm defiantly, Naruto put on the strongest pout he could. 

“This is freaking BORING!” He whined, pulling the last weed out of the garden, “We’re really strong Kakashi-sensei, let us go on a cooler mission!”

“Finish this up and we’ll think about it.” Kakashi replied nonchalantly, returning to his orange Icha-Icha book. 

“Hey, teme,” Naruto whispered to the Uchiha, “I bet I can pull up these weeds before you can.”

Sasuke snorted, “Dobe. You wish.”

The two shot each other a competitive glare and began to pull out the weeds at a rapid pace. 

“Make sure you don’t pick the-” Sakura started, before realizing that they had indeed, picked weeds and plants alike. “Idiots!” She exclaimed, looking at the pulled up flowers. “We’re going to get in so much trouble…”

“Shit.” Naruto hissed, “It was the teme’s fault!”

“You initiated it, dobe!” Sasuke retorted.

“You didn’t have to go along with it Sasuke.” Sakura clucked her tongue, “And it was really immature of you to initiate a fight like that Naruto. Also, return your library books.”

Sasuke glared at the pink haired girl while Naruto looked at his feet ashamedly.

“I’m sorry Sakura-chan. I’ll also go to the library as soon as possible.” Naruto muttered, “Teme!” He whispered, “Apologize!”

Sasuke just shot the two of them a dirty look and turned his back. 

“That bastard.” Naruto muttered and Sakura couldn’t help but agree with him.

“Sasuke!” She called, jogging to catch up with him. “You can’t do something wrong then expect everyone to just be okay with it. You’re being worse than Naruto!”

That obviously struck a nerve in the Uchiha. “Worse than Naruto?” He growled, “That pathetic idiot will never be better than me at anything.”

Sakura shook her head disapprovingly, “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

Sasuke was already frustrated with Sakura and now she was just rubbing salt on the wound. It was obvious that he was the strongest member of team seven, and she had no right to underestimate him; especially by saying that the weakest member, Naruto, would surpass him? Bullshit. 

Before Sasuke could deliver a scathing remark, Kakashi came ambling into the garden. 

“I can’t believe you messed up a simple gardening mission…” Kakashi sighed, “I don’t know, that harder mission Naruto requested might be a bit much for you guys.”

“I’m sorry Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto bowed dramatically, “It was the dobe’s fault!”

Sasuke looked downright murderous. At this point, Sakura expected Sasuke to attack everyone on the team; thankfully, he was still a genin and not his future, psychopathic, self.

“Alright you three.” Kakashi instructed, “Clean up this mess before the landlady comes back. If it looks good, I’ll consider asking the Hokage for a harder mission.”

* * *

 

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Naruto still requested the mission to the wave. 

“Fine Naruto.” The Hokage capitulated, “I’ll send in the escort.”

“Is it gonna be a princess?!” Naruto bounced on his feet excitedly, his eyes glued to the door.

A few seconds later, a stout man came wobbling through the door, clutching a bottle of sake. 

“You sent a bunch of brats to protect me?” The drunk man slurred, “Konoha’s really not living up to its reputation.”

Seemingly unaffected, the Hokage introduced the escort. “This is Tazuna.” He announced, “He is a master bridge-builder from the Land of Waves. Your job is to escort him home.” 

“Who’s the short one with the stupid face?” Tazuna asked, looking at Naruto.

“Haha, Sasuke, you just got dissed!” Naruto chuckled before realizing that he was, indeed, the shortest. “Why you…” He growled, attempting to launch himself at the bridge-builder. 

“You can’t kill the person you’re supposed to protect.” Kakashi sighed, holding Naruto back. “Let’s get going. Before we leave though, I’d like to have a word with Sakura.”

Sakura froze.  _ God I hope he’s not suspicious. _ She thought, her palms already sweating. 

Kakashi motioned for Sakura to join him in the hallway. “So,” he began, smiling in order to lull Sakura into a false sense of security, “I just wanted to talk a bit about your file.”

Sakura tried her best to look unfazed despite her pounding heart. “Sure sensei!” She said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

“You may or may not know this, but your file from the academy differs greatly from your current attitude and skill set.”

Sakura nodded her head thoughtfully, looking merely concerned. 

“Do you know why that may be?” 

Sakura’s mind was running at a mile-a-minute, trying to formulate possible excuses. Remembering the excuse she had used several days ago with Sasuke, she realized that she only needed to tweak it slightly in order to convince Kakashi. “See,” she started, “when I was in the academy, I really, really liked Sasuke.” Sakura managed to force a blush on her face. “Since then, I’ve kinda got over it, but during the academy days, I thought he wouldn’t like me if I was strong. Guys like it when they have to protect girls, right? Anyway, I hid a lot of my talent and made myself seem really weak. Now that I’m in a team, I understand I need to pull my weight. Don’t worry, I won’t be hiding my strength anymore.”

“I see.” Kakashi nodded his head. Kurenai had been right. “Still, you haven’t told me how you learned medical ninjutsu.”

_ Shit.  _ Sakura thought, wracking her mind for another excuse. “I was really interested in it, you see, so I checked out some books from the library. It turns out I have a knack for it, so I kept going.”

“You learned medical ninjutsu from mere library books?” Kakashi looked at Sakura incredulously, raising his visible eyebrow.

“Yep!” Sakura replied with fake cheer. 

“Alright…” Kakashi began with blatant uncertainty, “Let’s go join up with the boys.”

* * *

 

Naruto cheered upon leaving the village for the first time, the same way he did in Sakura’s previous life. 

“The day’s beautiful, we get a C class mission, this is perfect!” Naruto gushed, practically skipping.

“Shut up.” Sasuke commanded without a hint of happiness, “We’re on a mission to protect someone, not have a picnic.”

“I like that one.” Tazuna nodded approvingly at Sasuke, “He has his priorities straight.”

“Hmph.” Naruto pouted, “That teme’s nothing special. When I become Hokage, I’ll prove to everyone how much stronger I am ya know!”

“I bet you will.” Sakura butted Naruto’s shoulder affectionately, half to encourage him and half to put Sasuke in his place. 

The group walked through the Konoha forests happily, their guard completely down. 

“A puddle.” Sakura muttered, hoping to spark awareness in her teammates. “That’s strange, when was the last time it rained again?”

“Protect the bridge builder!” Kakashi exclaimed before getting chopped to pieces by a pair of metal chains. 

Though Sakura knew he was pretending, the bloody heap of flesh on the ground was still disgusting. 

“K-Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto cried, wholeheartedly believing that his sensei was dead. 

“We still have to protect Tazuna, Naruto!” Sakura replied with fake panic in her voice. 

Sasuke quickly took the initiative, shielding Naruto from the two ninja. Cracking her knuckles, Sakura joined into the fray. She knew that it was a bad idea to go full ‘Tsunade’s badass pupil’ on the poor chunin, but she decided to pack a little extra into her punch. Soaring down from a tree, she slammed her chakra infused fist into one of the ninja’s backs, causing the ground to crack around his fallen body. She sighed happily once she noticed that Sasuke had successfully taken down the second ninja. 

“We defeated the enemy, but what about Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura briefly stared at the sun so that her eyes would water. 

With a dramatic ‘poof’, Kakashi appeared in front of the genin. 

“You’re alive!” Sakura cried with excitement, “Thank goodness!”

“Sakura, Sasuke, very good job.” Kakashi commended, “That was a very impressive display of strength Sakura. Naruto, I didn’t expect for you to freeze up like that.”

Naruto clenched his teeth and looked down at the wound on his hand. 

“It’s probably poisoned Naruto.” Sakura said worriedly.

Instead of offering Sakura his hand to be healed, Naruto whipped out a kunai and stuck it into the wound. “I’m not going to give up!” He announced, “Because that is my ninja way!” 

A smiled blossomed on Sakura’s face when she realized that Naruto hadn’t changed too much. “Naruto, I’m so glad you’ve realized your nindo, but if you lose anymore blood you could-”

“Die.” Kakashi interrupted, making sure Naruto was sufficiently scared. Though he was glad that his pupil was growing up, he wanted for him to know that a ninja couldn’t just stick a kunai in his hand in the middle of a mission. He had to have some decorum.

“Sakura heal me!!” Naruto cried dramatically, thrusting his bleeding hand in front of Sakura’s face. 

“God Naruto, I’m going to get tons of healing practice with you on my team…” Sakura sighed, channeling healing chakra into the wound. After she was finished, she began to feel strangely woozy. Quickly, her vision began to fade and everything sounded so far away. Grasping at what felt like nothingness, she felt herself fall backwards and completely lose consciousness.

* * *

 

“Is she awake yet?!” Naruto knelt down by the unconscious girl, his eyes wild with worry, “Did I do that? Did I hurt Sakura-chan?”

“It’s your fault.” Sasuke hissed, “You’re stupidity made her overuse her chakra and now she’s a dead-weight.”

As if on cue, Sakura pushed herself up with wobbly arms. “Who’s a dead-weight again?” She asked, smirking at the Uchiha, “Sorry about that guys. I must’ve overused my chakra with that punch and the healing. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” Sakura really hoped she wasn’t lying to herself. If she remembered correctly Zabuza would be popping up in about thirty minutes, so she had to get her shit together.

“A few minutes?” Sasuke scoffed, “I thought you were a medic. You’re going to need at least an hour.”

“Don’t underestimate me Sasuke.” She replied, making her way to her feet, noting how much her knees wobbled. Slowly, she staggered over to a fallen log and sat down. 

“I’m just going to drink some water, then we can hit the road-”

A mist fell over the clearing, bringing a terrifying, dark killing intent with it. Even with the experience of a neo-sannin, Sakura was scared. Not because she’d have to face Zabuza, but because he was early. Really early. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where the story will stray from cannon! Not much at first, but it'll get there.   
> Please leave kudos and comment. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

“Naruto!” Sakura exclaimed, “Where is Kakashi-sensei?!”

“H-he went to go talk with Tazuna.” Naruto replied, his voice thick with worry, “What’s going on?!”

“I don’t know.” Sakura replied semi-earnestly, “Get Sasuke. Make sure to not stray far from me. We can’t get separated.”

“It feels like death!” Naruto held tightly to a kunai, his knuckles turning white.

“It’s called a killing intent.” Sakura tried to keep her voice steady, “Most high-class ninja are capable to producing one. Don’t worry though, I promise to protect both you and Sasuke. Go! Get Sasuke!”

Naruto looked frantically through the mist, finally finding Sasuke, frozen in fear, kunai aimed for his own chest.

“Sasuke!” Naruto called, running over to his petrified friend. The Uchiha looked about ready to take his own life if it meant escaping the mist. “What the  _ fuck _ are you doing?!” With a powerful lurch, Naruto yanked the kunai out of Sasuke’s quivering hand. “Stop being a fucking baby and help us fight whoever is trying to kill us!”

For once, Sasuke was devoid of a scathing remark. He looked so vulnerable and scared, as if he was being reminded of something that had happened to him long ago. 

“You’re never this much of a wussy.” Naruto shook Sasuke’s shoulders, “What is wrong with you?”

Sasuke couldn’t open his mouth to form words in case he’d vomit. He could barely hear Naruto’s concerned voice over the sound of blood rushing through his head and the images of his murdered family flashing through his eyes. The last time he’d felt a killing intent this strong was on that night. The night he lost everything. 

“Sasuke?” Naruto’s voice was more soothing now, “Come on, Sakura’s waiting for us. She promised she’d protect us. Don’t worry, okay?”

No. That’s not what Sasuke wanted. He didn’t want someone’s damn protection! He wanted to be capable of protecting himself, yet he couldn’t. Here he was, shaking like a newborn, unable to move his terrified body or form a single word. Sasuke was so mad at himself. Naruto was able to withstand the killing intent with ease; in fact, he brushed it off as if it wasn’t even there. But he, the self-proclaimed ‘strongest member of team seven’, was acting like a frightened little puppy. It wasn’t fair! Using his rage to fuel his movement, he stood up straighter. 

“Thank god Sasuke, now let’s go find Sakura.” Naruto sighed in relief, guiding Sasuke’s shaking legs towards their female teammate.

“There you are!” Sakura sighed in relief upon seeing her two teammates again. “We need to help Kakashi-sensei right now! The enemy confronted him and he can’t fight the enemy off plus protect Tazuna at the same time!”

“On it Sakura-chan!” Naruto announced confidently, “Do you have a plan?”

“How would I? I don’t know what the enemy is capable of!” Sakura lied through her teeth. Still, she wouldn’t hold all of her information from her teammates, instead she’d release it when the knowledge she had was plausible. “Sasuke, Naruto, let’s go!”

Sasuke forced his fear to the back of his mind, running numbly alongside his teammates. Yes, he was still afraid, how could he not be, but he was more frustrated; all he wanted was strength, and lately, he had been feeling weaker than ever! Still, he grit his teeth and rushed into battle like a proper shinobi. He refused to be worse than Naruto ever again. 

Sakura wanted to sigh in relief when she saw Kakashi more than holding his own against Zabuza. The scene was similar to the one in her previous life, but still, something struck her as off. She could sense Haku’s chakra, but it wasn’t located in the trees or the clearing behind her as it had been before. Instead it was located closely behind Zabuza, masked well, but not unnoticeable. It could just be paranoia and Haku would move later on in the battle, but it still rubbed Sakura the wrong way; she wanted to slap herself. Getting worked up by the positioning of a ninja when they had shown up thirty minutes to an hour early? Ridiculous. Shaking her head, she jumped into battle mode.   
“Sasuke, guard the bridge builder!” She commanded, running towards Kakashi and Zabuza, kunai in hand. “Naruto, back me up!”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Sasuke spat, obviously miffed that he would have to guard Tazuna instead of fight. 

“I’ve got a plan!” Sakura insisted, running towards the fight. 

Kakashi was currently dominating a hand-to-hand battle. He threw punch after punch, ducking gracefully under Zabuza’s quick movements. Sakura gasped as a punch connected with Zabuza’s face. Reeling back from the impact, a small line of blood dribbled out of his mouth, suggesting shattered teeth. Kakashi didn’t waste a moment. Before Zabuza could retaliate, he rotated his body and landed a solid roundhouse kick right at Zabuza’s ribs. Of course, one kick was not enough to finish the missing-nin. He jumped back towards the river, weaving rapid fire hand-signs. A titanic wave of water rose from the river, razing the plants and undergrowth as it barreled towards Team seven. Sakura clenched her teeth as she gazed at the incipient wave, absolutely unsure of how to counter it. Unfortunately, her chakra affinity was earth and though she had learned water jutsu, her current body didn’t have the chakra. Breathing a sigh of relief, she noticed Kakashi weaving the same hand signs in hope to cancel out the jutsu. 

Fine mist sprayed down on the genin as Zabuza was pushed backwards by the force of Kakashi’s wave. It was strange really. Before, Zabuza had put up more of a fight, but now, he looked pathetic compared to Kakashi. Flashing his crimson eye, Kakashi copied Zabuza’s jutsus so quickly it looked as if he was predicting the future. Fear and frustration grew evident in the missing-nin’s eyes as he realized that he was outmatched. Still, Sakura was afraid. The fight was going so differently than it had previously. Zabuza  _ wasn’t _ supposed to be getting his ass kicked, and Naruto and Sasuke were supposed to learn to work as a team. 

“Sakura, what was your plan?” Sasuke implored, still shielding Tazuna. 

“I don’t think it’ll be of use…” Sakura looked worriedly at the battle, “From what I’ve heard of Zabuza, he’s supposed to be a lot stronger. Does he seem wounded to you?”

“No.” Sasuke raised a single eyebrow. “He just seems like an average jonin that doesn’t stand a chance against Kakashi of the Sharingan.”

“But he’s one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist!” She insisted, still not letting her guard down, “He should be stronger!” 

Sasuke looked at her with anger and confusion, “Why are you mad that Kakashi’s winning? Do you want to die?”

“No!” Sakura shook her head defiantly, “I-it’s just-” she sighed, “shannaroo. I don’t know.”

Naruto looked back at her, “Should we help Kakashi out, or should we just sit back and watch him kick ass?” He asked. 

“It looks like Kakashi’s got this.” Sakura sighed, growing more worried by the second. 

She was right, within minutes, Kakashi had Zabuza pinned to a tree and half-unconscious, his kunai about to slit the missing-nin’s throat. Before he could finish the job, he was forced backwards. A large hunk of ice barreled towards him, hitting him square in the chest. Thankfully, he wasn’t severely injured, but he was definitely surprised. A figure emerged from behind the trees, scooping up Zabuza’s limp body; Sakura didn’t know if she was thankful or not, but the boy who had saved Zabuza was indeed Haku. Nevermind, she wasn’t thankful. Instead of pretending to be a hunter-nin, Haku burst in and saved Zabuza as an ally. 

“What are you doing?!” Sasuke demanded, brandishing his kunai.

“He was foolish.” Haku stated in his soft, raspy voice, “He has not been well, yet he insisted on rushing into a fight.” With that final message, he disappeared in a cloud of snow, taking Zabuza with him. 

_ Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.  _ Sakura thought.  _ This is so different. What’s even going on?! How could my minimal changes influence the future already?!  _ “What just happened?” Sakura muttered, glancing worriedly at her teammates. 

“Now that’s a question for the ages Sakura-” Kakashi’s eyes rolled backwards as his fell forwards, his knees buckling. 

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke rushed over to Kakashi and caught him before he fell, grunting as he supported the unconscious man’s weight. 

“What happened to Kakashi-sensei?!” Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic, “Is it poison?! Is he…” he paused dramatically, “Dead?!”

“No Naruto.” Sakura sighed, “He overused his chakra. From what I’ve heard, the sharingan is rather draining.”

“How do you know about the sharingan?” Sasuke questioned, his voice low and menacing. 

“There are plenty of reference books in the library. It’s not difficult information to come across.” Sakura assured Sasuke, looking slightly exasperated. “Now let’s get Tazuna to the land of waves. I have a feeling our mission won’t be done there though.”

“Hn.” Sasuke agreed. Or at least Sakura thought he agreed; he never made sense anyway. 

* * *

 

Tazuna’s daughter, Tsunami, was the equivalent of a saint. The minute she saw the three genin carrying the burden of their unconscious sensei, she took him off their hands and provided them with well-needed and well-deserved refreshments. 

“My goodness!” She exclaimed, looking at their dirty, tired state, “What on earth  _ happened _ ?”

“We ran into one of Gato’s hired henchmen, Zabuza.” Tazuna sighed, running his fingers through his sparse hair, “If only building this bridge wasn’t so goddamn hard.”

Sakura cringed at the forlorn looks on Tsunami and Tazuna’s face. Their village was severely impoverished and their only hope lay in the new bridge; of course they weren’t just able to build it without problems. “Is there anything we can do for you, Tsunami?” Sakura offered, smiling kindly at the woman, “We’d really love to help in any way we can.”

“Oh I couldn’t impose such things on you.” Tsunami shook her head, playing the role of ‘good hostess’ perfectly. 

“Please, we insist.”

“Yeah, ya know!” Naruto added, his spiky hair bouncing as he nodded. 

Tsunami sighed in resignation, “I suppose you three could run to the market for me. I’ll give you a list.” The woman stood up quickly from her chair and hurried to grab a loose sheet of paper. After quickly jotting something down, she handed the folded note to Sakura. “Thank you so much.” She said sincerely, “I really hope your sensei will be okay.”

“I’m sure he will!” Naruto assured, skipping out of the house with the rest of his team. 

“We haven’t talked about this enough,” Sasuke started, “so what happened with Zabuza? Who was the masked figure?”

“An ally of his.” Sakura speculated, “It’s strange though. He was wearing a hunter-nin mask, yet he didn’t try to act like a hunter-nin at all!”

“That’s true.” Sasuke nodded thoughtfully, “Perhaps he was expecting to utilize his disguise, but he deemed it useless?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Sakura groaned. “It just...rubs me the wrong way.”

“Hn.”

* * *

 

The town was genuinely dilapidated. The small houses were riddled with holey roofs and cracking walls while the selection of food was frankly pitiful. Sakura gazed guiltily at the knobbly knees and painfully visible ribs of the children begging on the streets; begging from whom, Sakura was unsure, but it was still depressing nonetheless. She stifled a gasp when she saw a young girl limping down the street with a black and purple bruise covering the entirety of her lower leg. Overcome with the need to assist the girl, she ran over. 

“May I help you?” She asked, her voice soft and kind.

The girl backed away suspiciously, her body tense. 

“I promise, I’m just going to heal your leg. Nothing more.” Sakura insisted, motioning for the girl to sit beside her. 

The girl complied. 

“What’s your name?” Sakura asked, her hand glowing with a soft green light. 

“Amara.” The girl whispered, staring intently at Sakura’s hands as they knit the fractured bone back together. Once the bone was fixed, the bruise faded completely, leaving Amara’s leg merely dirty. “Th-thank you.” She gazed at Sakura with deep admiration. “That was amazing.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Sakura helped Amara to her feet and watched her as she skipped away. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sasuke ran over to Sakura, “You’re going to attract a crowd and both you and I know you don’t have enough chakra to heal everyone in this town.”

“No, not all at a time, but throughout our stay, I can try.” Sakura retorted, crossing her arms. 

“How do you know we’ll be staying that long?”

“Look at the state Kakashi-sensei’s in. Do you really think we’ll be going anywhere any time soon?” Sakura looked smugly at Sasuke and turned to the small crowd she had attracted. Villagers young and old had gathered in a small clump around the bench she had been previously sitting at. Slowly, an old woman approached her, cradling an infected arm. 

“Thank you so much for healing Amara.” He bowed respectfully and Sakura was taken-aback. Wasn’t  _ she  _ supposed to bow? “I would really appreciate it if you could heal my arm. We don’t really have a doctor here.”

“Of course.” Sakura agreed, “Please sit here.”

“Sakura-” Sasuke started.

“I’m  _ fine _ Sasuke!” Sakura insisted, “Herd these people into some semblance of a line would you?”

Sasuke didn’t like being ordered around, but he somehow didn’t feel angry at Sakura. Strangely enough, he admired her actions despite the fact that he was annoyed with her at the moment. Or was he? Was it that he was annoyed with himself, but needed to find a receptacle? Sasuke shook his head, as if to clear the thoughts from his mind. Sighing at his uncharacteristic behavior, he made sure the villagers were as organized as possible. It was so strange; he felt a warm feeling in his stomach when he watched Sakura help people. In fact, he too wanted to aid the needy. He blinked several times at his realization. Somehow in the trauma of his childhood, he forgot the joy he felt when he was able to help people. Still driven by this awakening, he walked over to Sakura. 

“Can I help?” He asked monotonously. 

Sakura tossed him a roll of bandages. “If I heal someone with a broken bone, wrap the appendage so that the healed bone doesn’t get jostled.”

“Hn.” Sasuke grabbed the bandages and forced back a strange urge to smile. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the chapter!   
> So I call this chapter the: Sasuke gets some goddamn feelings chapter. And I know, he probably seems mighty OOC, but this time, I think it's called for. In the anime, he has a mini panic-attack when meeting Zabuza, but is consoled by Kakashi. I think if Kakashi wasn't there, he would have been so much more scared. Not to mention, if Sakura offers her protection, Sasuke would just be frustrated. And as for the healing scene, Sasuke was a nice kid. He was funny and he loved his brother. I get this gut feeling that he actually wants to help people, but is too numb to feel the compassion. But with the weakness he experienced earlier, I feel like he's slightly thawed now. Anyway, hope that made sense.   
> Please read, vote, and comment!


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura had helped at least two dozen villagers in the past hour and was definitely feeling the strain. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow once I get some rest and replenish my chakra.” She announced, motioning for the crowd to disperse, “Do come back.”

The villagers smiled at the young girl and quickly left the clearing. Soon, Sakura was left alone with Sasuke. 

“Where’d Naruto get to?” Sakura asked, rolling her neck in relaxing circles. 

“I sent him to get the groceries for Tsunami.” Sasuke replied, using far more words than Sakura expected. “I figured he’d just get in the way here.”

Sakura chuckled lightheartedly, “You might be right about that. Let’s go get him.”

Sasuke nodded and led Sakura to the small market stands. 

“Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!” Naruto exclaimed, hurrying over to his teammates with many bags in hand. “There you are! I got the groceries.”

“I’ve noticed.” Sakura smiled, grabbing a bag from Naruto’s hands, easing his burden. “Let’s head back to Tazuna’s. Kakashi may have woken up.”

“He better have!” Naruto nodded to himself, “He can’t sleep forever.”

“That’s called death dobe.” Sasuke replied, “Kakashi is certainly not dead.”

“Why do you never call him Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura implored, realizing she never got the answer to that question. “You only call him Kakashi, it’s weird.”

Sasuke look taken off-guard. It was strange, he didn’t really know himself. Devoid of a proper response, he merely shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. 

“You’re supposed to answer a girl’s questions, teme!” Naruto reprimanded, “It hurts their feelings if you don’t ya know.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not right next to you idiot!” Sakura chastised, knocking Naruto on the head, “And my feelings don’t get hurt that easily. Not to say you should ignore my questions, but answer them ‘cause you’re a good person, not ‘cause I’m a girl. Shannaro!”

“Sorry Sakura-chan.” Naruto apologized, “Still teme, answer her question!”

Sasuke looked forward blankly, actively ignoring Naruto’s whiny voice. He refused to answer any question he didn’t want to answer; and his will would stay strong. 

“Eh, whatever.” Sakura capitulated, “I’ll find out one day Sasuke Uchiha.” She vowed, “Even if it’s when we’re both 100 years old! I swear I’ll never leave you alone until you tell me.”

The prospect of Sakura remaining by his side until he was old made Sasuke strangely happy. Maybe it was the remaining joy from helping those people, but Sasuke was in a suspiciously good mood; not that he’d let his teammates notice of course. 

* * *

 

Tsunami greeted the three warmly, placing hot tea and snacks on the table. Sakura accepted the food gratefully and devoured the cookies in minutes. 

“Thank you Tsunami-san!” She smiled at the woman between ravenous bites, “This is really delicious.”

“I agree!” Naruto exclaimed, shoving a full cookie into his mouth. “Best I’ve had in ages.”

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement, taking small dainty bites of the cookies, followed by elegant sips of tea. Obviously the son of a clan head. 

“You eat like a princess, teme.” Naruto pointed out, grinning maliciously, “You act all tough and shit, but when you eat, you look like a hoity-toity royal lady!”

Sakura almost spit out her tea, knowing that Naruto was 100% correct. “He’s not wrong Sasuke.” She chuckled, watching the Uchiha’s face turn the color of his favorite food.

“I’ll kill you dobe.” He growled, standing up from the table. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Naruto taunted, rising from his seat as well. 

“If you’re gonna fight, do it outside!” Sakura warned, herding the angry boys out the door. “Thank you for the snacks!” She called behind her as she led her teammates into the forest. 

* * *

 

“Go ahead.” She motioned towards them, “Duke it out. Now there’s nothing for you to destroy except trees.”

“Y-you’re going to let us fight?” Naruto looked at Sakura suspiciously, “I thought you hated it.”

“I do.” Sakura agreed, “Go ahead though. It’s better to let your anger out on each other rather than holding it up and eventually killing a bunch of people because you’re so angry.” 

Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully and eventually nodded. “Sounds good by me Sakura-chan. Let’s go teme.”

“You’re on, dobe.” Sasuke replied, sliding into a fighting stance.

The two boys circled each other menacingly, sending glares and smirks every few seconds. 

“You gonna hit me or are you just gonna circle around me like a coward teme?” Naruto goaded the Uchiha. “Or are you just scared I’m gonna beat you?”

“In your dreams dobe.” Sasuke smirked, making a jab for Naruto’s face. 

Naruto was too slow to jump completely out of the way, but was able to miss the brunt of the hit. Sasuke’s fist grazed Naruto’s cheekbone, leaving the latter open for a roundhouse-kick to the ribs. This time, Naruto jumped out of the way, leaping onto Sasuke from above, leg outstretched. 

Sakura wanted to yell tips at Naruto, realizing how poor his fighting techniques were. He was only able to keep up with Sasuke because of his ridiculous resilience. If he was forced to rely on his wits or skill, he’d be creamed. Getting antsy watching the boys fight, Sakura realized that she didn’t need to sit on the sidelines. She had become so used to letting the boys do whatever while she cheered them on uselessly because they were so out of her league. They weren’t any more. Not by a long shot. 

“I’m joining in!” She announced proudly, cracking her knuckles.

“Are you sure Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, looking worriedly at the girl. 

“Sure as hell.” Sakura replied, jumping into the fray. “And I’m not going easy on you two.”

“I’d expect no less.” Sasuke stated, surprising himself  _ and  _ Sakura.

Sakura followed Sasuke’s movements expertly, dodging his punches and blocking his kicks. She loved the added challenge of Naruto’s spontaneity and did her best to predict his next move. 

In the spur of the moment, she ducked to the ground and thrust the edge of her palm into the back of Sasuke’s knee, causing him to stumble forward. Utilizing that momentum, she jumped behind him and pushed him into the unassuming Naruto, knocking both of them over. 

“I win!” Sakura chuckled, smiling at the fallen heap of Sasuke and Naruto.

“That was a cheap move.” Sasuke shook his head. 

“No move is cheap as long as it gets its desired effect!” Sakura laughed again, reveling in her victory. 

“Let’s go back to Tsunami’s.” Naruto suggested, visibly proud of Sakura. 

Sakura didn’t know what she did to deserve a friend like Naruto. His unconditional, brotherly love was more than she could ever ask for and his unrelenting optimism brightened even her darkest days. She praised every god and being above for giving her the chance to see Naruto in his purest, happiest state again. 

* * *

 

Sakura was happy to see Kakashi awake and sitting at the dinner table. 

“You woke up!” She exclaimed happily, sliding onto a cushion on the opposite side of the table. “How do you feel?”

“Aren’t you quite the young medic.” Kakashi chuckled. “I’m fine Sakura-chan. I’ve had worse.”

“Any pain in the head, bones, or muscles?” Sakura inquired, disregarding Kakashi’s assurance that he was fine.

“No, no.” Kakashi shook his head, his one visible eye crinkling. “I told you already. I’m fine.”

“She won’t take no for an answer.” Sasuke entered the conversation, smirking at his female teammate. “She’ll probably just bug you until you say that you have a faint pain in you pinky toe.”

Kakashi looked surprised to say the least. “That’s the only time I’ve ever heard you say anything remotely comical.” He stared intently at the Uchiha. “Are you feeling okay?”

Sasuke wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Yes, he was physically okay. He was also mentally okay; more so, strangely, than he had ever been. His cold, broken façade was slowly melting, and he couldn’t deny that he liked it. Ever since his teammates made it obvious how much they cared for him, especially Sakura, he suddenly felt so open. With the openness though, he could feel the repressed painful memories of his childhood seeping through the cracks in his hard exterior. It was so strange, but he wanted to speak to someone. Then he remembered something. At the time, he hadn’t cared much, but now he did. Who on  _ earth _ would Sakura want to save from succumbing to darkness? She was the privileged, civilian-born, only child who had never experienced any serious hardships in her thirteen years of living. Perhaps, if Sasuke bribed Sakura with his painful past (it was for information, not because he wanted to get stuff off his chest), she’d tell him about the strange someone. 

“Meet me in the forest tonight.” Sasuke stated, retiring to his shared bedroom. 

Sakura looked confusedly at Sasuke but shrugged off the feeling. He was a strange person, no doubt. Recently she had been wondering why she hadn’t mentioned the fact that she was a time traveler to anyone. On the surface, it seemed to be the intelligent thing to do, especially if she told the Hokage; he would be able to protect her and take all of the necessary precautions in order to avoid the terrible future she had suffered through. Still, she wanted people to treat her like a thirteen year-old again. Since she’d travelled back, a weight had been lifted off of her chest. Suddenly she was allowed to have fun and laugh and the world didn’t suck. Also, if she told the Hokage about her future, he’d be suspicious of Sasuke; though Sakura knew it would probably be the best if someone kept tabs on the Uchiha, she just wanted him to be happy more than anything else. That’s all she ever wanted. Sakura smiled contentedly to herself and walked into the kitchen. 

“Do you need any help with dinner?” She asked Tsunami, happily inhaling the aroma of steamy miso soup. 

“Not now, Sakura-chan, but I’d love help with the dishes. Unless you’ve got plans for tonight.” Tsunami smiled, ruffling the girl’s hair affectionately. 

“I’m going on a-a walk tonight!” She ad libbed, “Yes a walk! So I’ll just do the dishes really fast. Yep.”

“It’s the Uchiha boy isn’t it?” Tsunami goaded, glancing suggestively at Sakura, “I see the way you look at him.”

“Oh, no no no!” Sakura waved her hands in front of her face in a flustered manner. “I’m genuinely just going for a walk! Really!”

“Sure Sakura-chan.” Tsunami winked at her before turning back to the steaming pot. 

“On an unrelated note,” Sakura started, changing the subject, “you should have Naruto tend to your garden. He’s got a real green thumb.”

“That silly, impulsive boy?” Tsunami giggled.

“That’s the one.”

“I would have never expected. I’ll take your advice though.” 

Sakura smiled at Tsunami and made her way to her bedroom, passing Sasuke on the way. Somehow, in all of her years of knowing Sasuke, she’d never really seen what he did when he wasn’t with his teammates. Surreptitiously, she snuck a glance into Sasuke’s room; upon seeing him, head resting on his fist, staring blankly at the wall, Sakura wasn’t sure if she should feel sad or confused. Sasuke wasn’t doing  _ anything _ . He looked so empty and cold, Sakura could feel the aura from where she stood. She wanted to stand there and decode him, perform a thorough dialysis of his expression and position; he was such an enigma and Sakura was entranced. Before she could begin to unpack the labyrinth of confusion that was Sasuke, she heard a bright, familiar voice. 

“Whatcha doing Sakura-chan?” Naruto inquired, his voice bubbly.

Sakura hid her surprise well. “Just heading to my bedroom. What have you been up to?”

“Well…” He began sheepishly, “You know those books you told me to return?”

Sakura raised her eyebrow, knowing what Naruto was going to say.

“Well I forgot to return them. Well, I didn’t forget, but it just takes me so long to read them ya know! I need extra time!”

“You can renew them Naruto.” Sakura sighed, patting the Uzumaki on the back. “It’s okay. I’m sure you didn’t know. How ‘bout I help you understand them?”

“That sounds fabulous!” Naruto exclaimed, leading Sakura to the living room.

Naruto placed Konoha History A-Z on the table in front of him, opening to the page he was on. “Well, there are some words I don’t know, and sometimes the letters just move around on the page. It’s weird.”

“No one ever helped you with this in the academy?” Sakura asked incredulously. Naruto shook his head. “That’s terrible!”

“I dunno…” Naruto shrugged apprehensively, “The only teacher that paid any attention to me was Iruka-sensei.”

“Well, I’m going to help you now.” Sakura announced. “Can you read this page aloud to me?”

“Okay. Konoha was… founded by Hashirama Senju and his friend Madara Uchiha. P-previously?” Naruto glanced at Sakura, silently asking if he pronounced the word correctly. Sakura nodded. “Previously, Hashirama and Madara were members of enemy clans and fought often. After they both suffered...serious losses, they banded together and founded Konoha. Unfortunately, Madara defected? What does that mean, Sakura-chan?”

“It means to abandon something or turn against it.” Sakura replied, “In this case Madara turned against the village.”

“Oh, thanks!” Naruto smiled, “Hashirama… confronted Madara and fought him, emerging successful. He was then viewed as the God of Shinobi.”

“That was really good Naruto!” Sakura commended. “Though this history book is slightly sparse when it comes to details. Try to read as much of it as you can, but don’t be afraid to ask me about things you don’t understand.”

“I sure will Sakura-sensei!” Naruto chuckled, grinning at Sakura with bright blue eyes.

“Don’t call me that.” Sakura gave Naruto an affectionate push. “I like Sakura-chan a lot better.”

“Okay then, Sakura-chan. Imma go read!”9

“You do that Naruto.” Sakura skipped back to her room, savoring her good mood. If she remembered correctly, she had spent the entirety of the wave mission in fear in her past life; this was a good change. Hopefully, the rest of her new life would go just as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter for ya! Unfortunately, there may be a bit of a wait between this chapter and the next. I have a violin concert coming up and I REALLY need to practice, leaving little time for writing. I'll try to update ASAP though.


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura gazed confusedly at the text in front of her. At the moment, she was attempting to learn some new jutsu since she had never been particularly proficient in elemental styles in her past life. Now, she realized why; for some reason, Sakura couldn’t follow the logic behind the jutsus. How was she supposed to combine her two chakra natures if they were so different in character? Water was free and flowing, while earth was rigid and strong; independently, Sakura knew how to utilize the two, but together? That was a completely different kettle of fish. Thoroughly fed up, she slammed her book onto the desk and stood up, deciding to blow off some steam. 

* * *

 

The forest outside Tazuna’s house was sprawling and green, casting comforting shadows on the soft, grassy floor. A cool breeze caressed the tall trees and combed its gentle fingers through Sakura’s hair; taking deep breaths, Sakura contemplated her plans for the future. 

At the moment, Sakura didn’t want to change anything too drastically in fear that she’d change more than she already had. Since Zabuza already seemed weaker and had come earlier, Sakura worried about what that would mean for the future. Still, she needed to make some changes; the chunin exams, for instance, required a lot of editing. Whatever happened, Sakura could not allow for Sasuke to get the curse mark from Orochimaru. Worst case scenario, Sakura would intercept the attack and contract the curse mark herself. That was only if she couldn’t prevent it in any other way. Hopefully, she would never have to come to that.

Minutes passed in silence as Sakura relaxed against a tall tree, breathing deeply. Happily, she fiddled with several blades of grass, twisting and braiding them into ornate shapes and patterns. Still, she didn’t speak, reveling in the quiet peacefulness of the forest.

Once the sun had begun to set, Sakura pushed herself to her feet and made her way back to Tazuna’s home. Her stomach emitted a low rumble, informing her that it was time for dinner. A giddiness bubbled in the pit of her stomach when she remembered her upcoming meeting with Sasuke; what prompted the Uchiha to want to speak with her, she was unsure, but she was excited nonetheless. During these times, she almost missed her obnoxious inner voice, reciting romantic fantasies and swooning at Sasuke’s every move. Still, she had killed off that voice long ago so that she could focus on more serious matters. Obviously, it hadn’t returned when she traveled back in time.

* * *

 

Tsunami welcomed Sakura happily and ushered her into the kitchen when the rest of her team was sitting. 

“Hi Sakura-chan!” Naruto greeted bouncing in his seat. “While you were gone, I finished a whole chapter of Konoha History A-Z!”

“That’s great Naruto!” Sakura congratulated her friend. “What was it about?”

“I was reading about the third shinobi war.” He tapped his chin pensively. “The book talked about the battles and how even the genin and chunin had to fight! That’s pretty messed up, right?”

“Yeah.” Sakura agreed solemnly, remembering how children had to fight in the fourth shinobi war as well. 

“Anyway, the war seemed hella scary ‘cause people were dying all the time and you never knew when you’d be attacked.”

“That is how war works.” Sakura nodded, her voice laden with a gravitas far to heavy for her current age. 

“You seem to know a lot about war.” Kakashi added with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“I’ve read about it.” Sakura replied nonchalantly, “I read a lot about it because it terrifies me and I want to know what to avoid.”

Kakashi’s sole visible eye crinkled as he patted Sakura on the head. “You’re too young to be thinking about things like this. Be happier.”

Kakashi didn’t like when Sakura was serious or when she addressed real issues. That was supposed to be the job of the boys, while she sat innocently behind them. He knew it was a terrible thing to think, but he didn’t want Sakura to be strong enough or have enough potential to become a first-rate shinobi; one that would serve on the front lines. She was far too fragile for that kind of dirty work. Or was  _ Rin  _ too fragile? Was Kakashi projecting his old feelings about his teammate on Sakura? Probably, but it made Kakashi feel better, so he wasn’t going to stop.

As if reading his mind, Sakura piped-up. “If Naruto or Sasuke were to say what I said, you’d delve into an in depth discussion with them, wouldn’t you.” She sent an accusatory look at her sensei, which was reciprocated with absolute blankness.

“Do you think so lowly of me, Sakura-chan?” Kakashi replied, somewhat monotonously. 

Sakura didn’t answer, but she got the information she needed. Of course Kakashi thought she was too fragile to understand serious business or real shinobi issues; she hadn’t done a great job proving that she was strong enough in her past life or earlier years. A pathetic fangirl clad in an impractical pink dress wasn’t your first candidate for the front lines.

Hoping to break the tension, Tsunami came bustling out of the kitchen with a large platter of food in her hands. 

“I hope you’re hungry!” She announced, setting the platter down on the table. “I wasn’t sure what food you’d like, so I made a bit of everything.” She turned to the hallway. “Inari! It’s time for dinner!”

The young boy came sulking down the hall, flopping dramatically onto a chair. The fact that the boy was simply  _ angsty  _ had slipped Sakura’s mind as she had only remembered his braver, sweeter side. Now, she was annoyed by him. Suddenly, the significance of a certain question popped into Sakura’s head; turning towards a picture sitting atop a cabinet, she looked at Tsunami questioningly. 

“It seems like part of that picture was ripped off.” She pointed out. “Why?”

“Ah.” Tsunami quickly donned a forlorn look. “He was Inari’s father… in a sense.” She paused and sighed sadly. “He was the hero of this village.”

“There are no heroes.” Inari snarked. “Even you ninja can’t do anything. You’re just pretending.”

“Hey!” Naruto interjected. “We’re totally gonna be heroes! You’re just a baby and a coward if you don’t think you situation can be fixed. Believe it!”

Tears of anger began to pour down Inari’s face. Glaring one last time at Naruto, he stormed from the table and out of the kitchen. 

“I’m so sorry for Naruto’s behavior.” Kakashi quickly apologized. “I suppose Inari just hit on a bit of a  _ touchy  _ subject for him.”

“I’m still here you know.” Naruto hissed, crossing his arms.

“It’s okay.” Tazuna’s consoled. “Really, I think he needed someone to tell him as much.”     

“The dinner was delicious Tsunami-san.” Sakura smiled sweetly at the woman. “I’ll handle the dishes.”

“You’re such a sweet girl.” Tsunami purred, handing Sakura her plate. “You really don’t have to you know.”

“It’s the least I can do. You’ve been so very hospitable.”

Placing the dishes in the sink, Sakura began to wipe the grime off of them with a sponge. The upcoming meeting with Sasuke lurked in the back of her mind, sending butterflies into her stomach. He was so different than his past self, Sakura couldn’t help but feel as if she had done something wrong. Of course, she knew that he was in a mentally better place, but change was always a difficult pill to swallow; time travel was a hard pill to swallow as well, but that one was so absurdly big it was easier to lose in its own incredulity. Quickly, she finished washing the dishes, dried her hands on the checkered tea towel adjacent to the sink, and hurried out the door into the forest to the side of the house. A smile blossomed on her face when she sensed Sasuke’s tell-tale chakra a couple hundred feet away.

“You came.” Sasuke stated, acknowledging her existence.

“I did.” Sakura shuffled on her feet uncomfortably, “So, uh… what’d you call me here for?”

Sasuke motioned for her to sit on the log beside him. Apprehensively, Sakura lowered her body next to him, keeping a healthy distance. “You said something, a while ago.” He began, looking unfazed. “Something about you not allowing someone to fall into the darkness. Who was that?”

Sakura cursed her bad planning. She didn’t have any answer for that question other than explaining her entire complicated scenario to Sasuke and that was certainly not the route she would like to take. “I-it’s really not important.” Sakura insisted, looking away from Sasuke’s harsh gaze.

“If I tell you about my past, will you tell me about whatever the hell is going on?” Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned backwards in attempt to appear not-caring.

Sakura grinned. Sasuke was finally opening up to her; whatever his intentions may be, she wasn’t going to pass up this offer. “Sure.” She agreed. “You have to start though.”

“Well, you know of the Uchiha massacre.” Sasuke looked down at his feet uncomfortably for a second before meeting Sakura’s gaze. “My brother killed my family.”

Sakura nodded. Of course she already knew that; everyone did. She let out in inaudible sigh, hoping that she’d actually hear some new information. 

“And I really l-loved my brother before the incident.” Sasuke stumbled over the word ‘love’ as if it was foreign to him. “That’s essentially it.”

Sakura wanted press him for more, but she knew that Sasuke had opened up substantially. Though she didn’t receive any new information, she didn’t expect Sasuke to recount every emotion he ever had. In fact, Sasuke was taking large steps in the direction of ‘actual friend’.

“Now your turn.” Sasuke looked at her imploringly. “Who is this person you’re trying to ‘save’?”

“He’s a-a…” Sakura hesitated. “An old friend.”

“From when? It’s not like you’ve been around for a particularly long amount of time.”

“When I was younger and into when I was in the Academy,” Sakura lied, making up a story as she went, “there was this guy who would teach me things and uh, act like a friend. He had an interest in forbidden jutsus but at the time I, uh, I couldn’t do anything about it. Now I want to find him and stop him.”

Sasuke nodded slowly. “We’re similar.”

“I suppose we are.” Sakura agreed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the incredibly long wait! My concert went really well and I have more time now. I suffered from a brief bout of writers block, but I am now blessed with glorious motivation! In other words, I’ll update more frequently now.  
> MINOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS  
> On an unrelated note, have any of you seen Infinity War?! I did and I DIED. Since my favorite characters are: Thor, Loki, Gamora, and Spider-Man, there was a lot of pain in store for me. In light of the movie, I began a collection of Thor and Loki brotherly love one-shots which I hope you’ll check out. Also, if you want to rant about the happenings of the movie, PM me! I’d be happy to talk.


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke nodded slowly. “We’re similar.”

“I suppose we are.” Sakura agreed.

The silence between the two quickly became awkward; Sakura giggled uncomfortably as she would have done when she was younger. 

“What’s funny?” Sasuke implored.

“It’s nothing, really!” Sakura shook her head with embarrassment. “It’s just a thing I do to break awkward silences. Not to say that the awkward silence was your fault, of course! It’s just a subconscious thing I do; I could have initiated the silence!”

Sasuke looked at her with a single eyebrow raised. She was rambling nervously as she tended to do. Still, Sasuke didn’t find it as annoying as he used to; now he understood Sakura’s reasons for rambling. She didn’t do it because she wanted to talk that much and irritate him, no she did it for the same reason that he blocked people out. She did it because she didn’t know how to get through to a person. “We should go back.” Sasuke stated dryly. He didn’t want to convey too much emotion, as always. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Sakura agreed. “Let’s go then.” Pushing herself to her feet, she followed Sasuke through the dark forest and back towards Tazuna’s house. 

* * *

 

Naruto waited patiently at the steps of the house. There were very few things he hated more than being left out; especially by his two best friends. Would it have killed them to invite him? Even if they’d yell at him he’d be happy; as long as he wasn’t lonely. Still, Naruto refused to be sad. He would take this in stride and be ebullient and happy. Wallowing in sorrow achieves nothing.

Naruto spotted two incipient figures. Plastering his best smile on his face, he jogged towards them.

“Teme, Sakura-chan!” He exclaimed, “What’s up? What were you guys doing?”

“Nothing much, Naruto.” Sakura brushed off his question, “We should all get to bed though. It’s pretty late. I hear Kakashi-sensei has something in store for us tomorrow.”

“I was thinking we could talk ab-” Naruto started.

Sasuke was having none of it. He had done enough talking to last him a lifetime. “Let’s just go to bed Naruto.”

“Yeah. Okay then. I’ll see you all tomorrow then.” He muttered, trodding dejectedly back to his room. Mentioning the topic to Sasuke and Sakura the following day would be useless, Naruto was sure; quickly, he deemed that the best solution was to completely forget about the event. 

* * *

 

Sakura woke up the next morning, far more tired than she would have hoped. Groggily, she made her way to the kitchen where Naruto was fully passed out, his head on the table. 

“Naruto,” Sakura muttered, poking her friend lightly, “wake up. We have to eat.”

“Go away…” Naruto whined, hiding his head in-between his arms, “I don’t wanna wake up!”

“If you wake up now, you’ll be up before Sasuke.” Sakura goaded, sitting down next to Naruto.

Naruto’s head popped up abruptly. “I’m up! I’m up! You can vouch for me Sakura-chan, right?!”

“Of course Naruto. Now let’s eat breakfast.”

“Haha, I can rub this in Sasuke-teme’s face for all of eternity! I’m more punctual than him! This is amazing!”

“It’s incredible how quickly you perk up…” Sakura chuckled to herself. 

Sasuke entered the room several minutes later, fully dressed. 

“Teme! I was up before you!” Naruto exclaimed, pointing his finger at Sasuke, “Sakura-chan can totally vouch for me!”

“I don’t care.” Sasuke shrugged, sitting on the opposite side of the table. “Get serious. We’re training today so that we can put up a fight when Zabuza comes back.”

“I don’t know man, Kakashi pretty much whooped his ass the first time.” Naruto shrugged his shoulders. “It’s his little teammate we gotta worry about ya know.”

“You can’t let your guard down.” Sasuke chided, glaring at Naruto, “You have to take this  _ seriously _ .”

“Woah man, I am. I’m just saying, our chances look good.”

“You never actually know the chances!” Sasuke spat, his sharingan flashing for a second.

“Calm down!” Sakura exclaimed, meeting Sasuke’s gaze, “I agree that we can’t let our guard down, but that doesn’t mean you can lose your everloving shit!”

“I thought you understood.” Sasuke shook his head and looked down at his food.

“I-” Sakura stopped herself, “whatever. Look, we have to get along. We’re a team!”

“Stop trying to always fix things, Sakura.” Sasuke mumbled, “It’s not your job.”

“God every time I think I get somewhere with you, you find a way to make things worse! I’m sorry for everything that happened, but you can’t use that as an excuse to act like an asshole. Especially not towards the people that care about you.”

“What did I just say?” Sasuke didn’t spare Sakura a look. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Sakura groaned and dug into her breakfast. 

“Oh you’re already up?” Kakashi shuffled into the dining room and sat right next to Sasuke. “Boy, do I have a lot in store for you today!”

“Good.” Sakura grinned, “I hope it’s hard.”

“Well you don’t have to over-exert yourself Sakura-chan.” Kakashi said, wrinkling his one visible eye. 

“What if I want to, sensei?” Sakura retorted, gritting her teeth.

“Well, I suppose I can’t stop you, but really, there’s no need.”

“Can you please take me as seriously as you take the boys?”

Kakashi looked taken-aback. “Are you sure you want that?”

“I’m incredibly sure.”

Kakashi nodded slowly, “Fine. You’re going to train the exact same way the boys will.”

* * *

 

Kakashi leaned on his crutch and pointed at the trees in front of him. “You will be climbing trees.”

“Psh, that’s easy!” Naruto exclaimed, “I climbed trees all the time in the academy when I was running away from kids who wanted to hurt me!”

“That is incredibly sad to hear, Naruto.” Sakura sighed, shaking her head, “Your academy years were pretty rough, huh?”

“Uh, I guess?” Naruto replied.

“Anyway,” Kakashi interrupted, “You will be climbing these trees without your hands. With only chakra.”

“Oh.” Naruto moved close to Sakura, “Can you explain chakra to me, Sakura-chan?” he whispered.

Quickly, Sakura gave Naruto an explanation. 

“Thanks!”

“Go! Try it!” Kakashi commanded.

Immediately, Sasuke ran at the tree, getting up about three feet before falling back to the ground. Of course, he landed with cat-like grace. Next, Naruto tried, forgetting to plant his foot on the bark and just running face first into the tree. Sakura sighed and tried it for herself. It was easy, as she expected. She made her way up the tree slowly, making sure she didn’t look  _ too  _ comfortable. 

“This is pretty easy, sensei!” She grinned, sitting on the top branch. 

“Ah, would you look at that.” Kakashi pointed out, his excitement far from convincing. “Sakura-chan is the best at chakra-control. Well, you can go back to Tazuna’s now. You’ve outdone the boys.”

“Kakashi-sensei, you knew I’d be able to do this.” Sakura accused, “I’m not going home. Teach me the next step.”

“This isn’t like you to act so assertive.” Kakashi raised his eyebrow, eyeing Sakura suspiciously.

“You’ve been my sensei for only a few months. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot more about me.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! I posted a chapter!! I know it's been AGES, but I started high school (yes, I'm young) and it's been quite the transition. My interest in Naruto has been wavering, but I just watched a few episodes of Boruto and got so mad at it that I had to work on my own stories. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the filler-ish chapters! I want to get to canon soon, but I really need to develop Sakura's mental state as well as the states of the other characters. I promise to add a little fighty-fighty content in the next chapter.
> 
> Wowee y'all. It's 2019. That means that it's been pretty much a year since I started this and I promise I will finish this eventually. Hopefully I won't take more multi-month breaks during which I'm in fandom-limbo... Regardless, I'm so incredibly thankful for all of your support. Every time I see a review, I just feel so happy! I'll do my best to keep updating, and I hope y'all just enjoy it.
> 
> Feel free to point out any discrepancies in the story line/spelling/grammar. It really helps me since I'm a young writer.
> 
> To a fabulous 2019! ~Ashi

“You’ve been my sensei for only a few months. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot more about me.”

“I’ll learn a lot about you?” Kakashi half-chuckled, “Okay then. I’ll be sure to look out for that.”

Sakura opened her mouth to call-out Kakashi’s patronizing tone, but quickly closed it, not wanting to start a fight. 

“So you want to learn the next step?” Kakashi implored, ignoring the boys as they tumbled from the tall trees.

“Yes.” Sakura stated confidently, “I want to get ahead.”

“You’re already much stronger than I expected.” Kakashi sighed, “Why do you feel the need to try even harder?”

“Because I have people to protect, Kakashi!” Sakura exclaimed angrily.

“You dropped the suffix, Sakura-chan.” Kakashi looked at Sakura suspiciously, his eye shooting metaphorical lasers at her, “Was it a freudian slip?”

“W-what do you even mean?” Sakura fumbled over her words, panic beginning to set in, “I just got….overwhelmed.”

“Alright…” Kakashi gave her one more skeptical look before turning back to the boys in the trees. Without sparing Sakura a look he spoke to her. “If you feel the need to advance, walk on water.”

“So, no instruction?” Sakura implored, her voice dripping with annoyance, “I’ll just….learn myself?”

She got no reply. Letting out a sigh, she walked over to the small pond by the trees. Of course, she knew  _ conceptually _ how to walk on water. She’d gone over many drills and fallen into a myriad of lakes, but with her body in the state that it was in, walking on water without difficulty was a tall order. Thankfully, she wasn’t supposed to get it down on the first try; exceeding in the difficult skill of water-walking on her first try would be unfathomable. She doubted an Uchiha could succeed on their first try. Before she could take a stab at the technique, Sasuke approached her.

“Hey, what’s up?” She started, surprised that it was Sasuke talking to her and not Naruto.

“How did you get up the tree so easily?” He looked at Sakura confusedly, scanning her from head to toe.

Sakura looked at Sasuke skeptically. She decided that Sasuke didn’t understand that you couldn’t completely dismiss someone and insult them then ask for their help disrespectfully hours later. Sakura was sure someone had taught him basic manners at some point, since he was part of the Uchiha head family; apparently, he’d forgotten them all. “It’s all a balance, you see.” Sakura started, “If you release too much chakra into your feet, you will break the bark of the tree and fall off. If you don’t release enough, you won’t make a connection. You have to find the midpoint between the two where your weight is supported and you have the perfect amount of contact with the tree. Naruto will likely be the worst at it because he has so much chakra. The more chakra, the harder it is to control.”

“That’s why it’s so easy for you.” Sasuke noted.

“Rude, but I’m not going to deny it. I have a feeling that your chakra control could be very good if you work at it. You should consider learning healing jutsu.”

“Me? A healer?” Sasuke scoffed, “I’m meant for the front lines of battle.”

“Don’t be so closed-minded.” Sakura chided Sasuke, “Think about Lady Tsunade. Because of her mitotic regeneration jutsu, she can fight in the front lines  _ and  _ heal. Doesn’t that sound amazing?”

“Tsunade is  _ your  _ inspiration. I’ll find my own.” Sasuke replied, shooting down Sakura’s idea without hesitation.

“Who said we can’t share a role model? Think about how useful healing jutsu could be. You could save your teammates lives.”

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond but found himself at a lack for words. He would never say this to Sakura’s face, but healing jutsu was for the  _ weak _ . It was for those who stayed behind in battle and cried. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he believed that healing jutsu was for women. Sure Tsunade was strong, but she was an exception. Sasuke wasn’t sure if he was talented enough in chakra control to become and exception. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Sakura said, breaking Sasuke out of his reverie, “You think healing jutsu is for women.”

Sasuke was taken aback for a moment before he tried to fake a scoff. “I would never-”

“No, no, it’s not your fault. The idea that women are weak healers is a concept that society feeds everyone. In reality, society is afraid of what will happen when women are given equal opportunities. As much as they beg to differ, they know, somewhere deep inside them, that women can do just as much  _ if not more _ that a man.”

“Sure, whatever, I don’t doubt it.” Sasuke rolled his eyes, “By saying that I thought healing jutsu was for women, you were putting words in my mouth.”

“Oh, was I?” Sakura implored, staring at him straight in the eye, “I guess I just misunderstood your patronizing look. Anyway, go tell what I told you about chakra control to Naruto. He needs the extra help.”

“Why would I do that?” Sasuke looked incredulously at Sakura.

“Because, no matter how threatened you feel by Naruto, this isn’t a competition. We’re a team, and for us to function well, we all need the same opportunities and we need to  _ support  _ each other.”

“Tch.” Sasuke huffed, walking back towards the trees. Sakura was sure he would relay the information to Naruto, though. Despite Sasuke’s indifferent façade, Sakura knew that if there was one thing Sasuke cared about, it was the strength of team seven.

Sighing, Sakura began to walk towards the water. Carefully, she placed her dominant left foot onto the waves. The foot bobbed nicely on top, though she could tell that she would not be able to hold her weight. Noticing Kakashi’s watchful eye, she decided that she should get a good fail in so that she wouldn’t seem to suspicious. Bracing her body for the icy-cold plunge, she put all of her weight onto her left foot and promptly fell into the pond. Shivering, she stepped onto the shore and took off her flowy, red dress, leaving only her tank-top underneath. Sakura steadied her breath and took another stab at water walking. This time, she didn’t fail deliberately. She stayed atop the water’s surface for about three seconds before losing control and toppling into the pond once again. Finally acknowledging Sakura’s serious attempt, Kakashi ambled over to the pond. 

“Looking damp, Sakura-chan.” He joked, “I must say, I’m impressed with how quickly you’ve caught on to the concept of water-walking.”

“I’ve read about it.” Sakura stated, and she wasn’t lying. As a genin, she read books on every jutsu she could imagine. Regrettably, she never attempted to put any of her myriad book-smarts to practical use until she received a nasty wake-up call in the form of Sasuke’s untimely departure.

“Yes, but let me give you some pointers.”

Sakura listened on attentively, re-learning a lesson she had learned years ago. She remembered all the tips and all of the advice. Sakura didn’t have any problems  _ fundamentally _ . What she needed to work on was executing a skill she had mastered in a lighter, weaker, smaller body. “Thank you Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura said sincerely.

Smiling at her sensei, she stepped on the water again, taking her current body weight and chakra amount into account. Since her chakra level was so abysmal at the moment, concentrating it was actually easier than she had expected. Carefully, she took several tentative steps across the surface of the water. Precariously, she was able to walk well into the middle of the small lake before plunging into the (still frigid!) water. Her body was not as pathetic as she had initially thought. Sakura was beginning to realize how little advantage she took of her physical skills as a genin. Yes, she wasn’t particularly buff, and yes, her chakra reserves were small, but she had brimming potential that she never tapped until too late. No. It wasn’t that she neglected to tap into it, it’s that her senseis and peers neglected to encourage her. She was taught to be the girl on the sidelines. Her weakness was  _ encouraged _ . Sakura wouldn’t deny that she could have taken her improvement into her own hands with the right motivation, but her male peers didn’t have to. They were taught to be strong and their improvement was encouraged. For Sakura, improvement was strange. A woman who possessed confidence in their own skill was viewed as arrogant and  _ odd _ . It was the reason that Tsunade harbored the ill will of so many.

Sakura swam back to the shore and wrung the excess water from her hair. She focused her mind on the task at hand again and stepped onto the surface. The waves undulated gently below Sakura’s sandaled foot, creating a touch of imbalance. Acknowledging this, she adjusted her body to the constant movement of the water, following it instead of fighting it. Relaxing her body and only expending the exact amount of chakra necessary, she walked across the lake, breathing in rhythm with the ebb and flow of the gentle waves. With grace, she walked across the entire lake. If she hadn’t already achieved this, Sakura would be jumping for joy. In fact, she probably should to keep up her inconspicuity.

“Kakashi-sensei!” She exclaimed with well-feigned excitement, “Did you see that? I walked across the entire lake!”

“Do it again.” Kakashi insisted, turning towards her.

With a firm nod, Sakura walked across again, retaining her poise. “See?” She grinned, “I told you I could do it.”

Kakashi nodded, “I am impressed.” With that, he turned back to Naruto and Sasuke. 

Despite his seeming dismissal of her achievements, Sakura was pleased. At the moment, she knew that Kakashi’s reaction was actually incredibly emotive. He was probably reconsidering her after her display; oh yes, Sakura was pleased.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Sorry if any of the characters are OOC, they become less so in the following chapters. Please leave kudos and comments! Thanks!!


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